When Love and Trust Entwine
by scrittore18
Summary: While still trying to help her brothers, Sinead now has a new task in front of her: Juggle her busy life with being the girlfriend of an equally busy celebrity. This will be as easy as doing research for a science paper, right? Sequel to 'When Ego and Pride Collide'. Unashamedly JONEAD. Heavy AU.
1. Chapter 1

**So I decided to go with the Jonead follow-up for now, since I already have a good portion of it written! In the meantime, I can plan the Amian/Vesper sequel and feel more confident about it.**

 **Extra note: Still no action, lots of romance, AU, and this chapter has several flashbacks and fill-ins since I'm jumping ahead two months. But the rest of the chapters will have more plot, I promise! :D**

* * *

"Are you off the video call now with Jonah?" Dan asked, poking his head into the kitchen and eying Sinead warily.

"Yes." She smiled at her young cousin. "It's safe to come in."

"Good." Dan's relief was evident. "I don't want to hear anything that's supposed to be private - _again_."

Sinead grinned fully now, her mind replaying a scene from only a few days after Jonah had left for his tour, while the main group was still in Bora Bora. She was sure that was what Dan was referring to.

 _ ***Flashback***_

 _Her phone rang then, just as they were climbing into the limo._

 _She didn't recognize it at first, because she wasn't familiar with the tone. It wasn't until Ned asked her if that was her phone that she looked down, confused, and saw what the screen said: "Incoming Video Call: Jonah"_

" _Oh, it's Jonah!" She exclaimed._

 _He had texted and called her a few times in the past two days, but she hadn't received a video call from him yet. She hastily answered the phone, the limo going quiet when they heard her say his name._

" _Hello?" She frowned at the blank screen, had she messed it up?_

 _But then the screen flickered, and her boyfriend's smiling face appeared._

" _Hey beautiful." He said._

 _She noted that he looked exhausted, and wondered what the time was there._

" _Hey," She replied, a little unnerved about seeing him. And him seeing her, since she was sure she was a mess. She caught her reflection in the top corner of the video - yep, her hair was frizzy, her cheeks were pink, and she looked like she just ran two back-to-back marathons without stopping._

 _Wincing internally and wondering if she should have ignored the call, she stated, "I don't know about beautiful; we just got through riding bikes and it was really windy outside."_

" _Ahh so you're all hot and sweaty too? Sexy."_

 _She blinked, taken aback and not knowing what to say._

" _She's also in the car with everyone else." Ted's dry voice sounded out. "Hi Jonah."_

 _Instead of looking embarrassed, the celebrity laughed, his face still relaxed. "Hey Ted. Yo, if you're gonna come to London to beat me up can you please bring your sister with you?"_

 _Sinead groaned as everyone laughed, "I'm tempted to hang up on you." She threatened._

" _Don't do that." He said quickly. "I'm sorry for teasing you."_

 _She pursed her lips but her gaze went back to the bags underneath his eyes._

" _You look really tired. What time is it there?" She asked._

" _Almost midnight. We've been rehearsing all day, doing full sets since my first show is tomorrow night." He grimaced. "We still gotta lot to do tomorrow. We start rehearsing at six."_

 _Sinead felt her eyes widen. "Six? Jonah you should be sleeping."_

" _I wanted to see ya though. I missed you."_

 _At those words her eyes flickered around the limo, but her cousins had resumed conversation and to her surprise didn't seem to be listening in._

" _I miss you too." She admitted, her face falling slightly. "I wish I were there right now."_

" _I do too." He looked sad too, but brightened. "Hey I wrote somethin' on the plane that I wanna run by you, but when you're by yourself."_

 _Sinead's heart dropped. Was it about her, or just something he wanted her opinion on?_

" _Call me again tomorrow if you get a free second. Or do you want to text the lyrics to me?"_

" _I would rather sing them, since I have the melody and everything already figured out." He said, but she couldn't read his expression. "I'll video call you again."_

 _He yawned, and his eyes drooped a little. Sinead would never tell him this but he looked adorable, like a little puppy._

' _He's turning you into a sap, toughen up'. She told herself._

" _I wish we could still keep talking," She said softly, not wanting anyone to overhear, "But you look exhausted. You're going to get sick if you don't sleep."_

 _Then she halted, hoping that she didn't sound like she was trying to be his mother, but he agreed with her_

" _I know, my dad would kill me if he knew I was still up." He admitted._

 _Sinead bit her lip, a warm feeling overtaking her. It was nice to know that he wanted to talk to her that much._

" _So, I don't want to say it, but I guess I should say goodnight." He laughed lightly, "Or good morning for you. Tell everyone I said hi."_

" _Ok, I will." She had said, hanging up the phone and relaying the message._

 ***End Flashback***

"I'm not even going to ask why you have that sappy look on your face." Dan stated, startling her out of her thoughts. "But it's still weird to see it there. You act so different now that you're dating Jonah."

Sinead blinked, turning to Dan, who had somehow managed to cross the room without her noticing. "Do I really?"

' _Is that a good or bad thing?'_

"Hey it's not bad." He seemed to read her thoughts. "You aren't as stressed out, even though you should be. Aren't we still meeting him next week?"

"Yes." She replied. "But remember don't say a word or I'll have to kill you."

Dan rolled his eyes. "I barely talk to Jonah. But that sounds more like the 'normal' you."

She ignored his tone, thinking again of her plan and feeling proud of herself. It had been two months since she had seen her boyfriend in person, and both of them were about to go crazy. Jonah's tour was wrapping up in two weeks, but Sinead would be starting two new classes then and wouldn't be able to see him on his break.

However, she had arranged with her professor to take her final early, ahead of the rest of the class in order to have one free week before her next classes. She normally took two fast-track classes at once, but was glad that she only opted for one starting out.

But this was the fun part of her plan: Jonah had called her two days ago and told her he would be in the states, doing a song on DWTS, and was hoping that she could fly in to see it live. It was the day of Sinead's final, but Broderick had already informed her and had arranged for her, Dan, and Amy to fly out the next morning and meet them at L.A.X., where Jonah would fly back to Asia.

Although she had hated hearing the disappointment in Jonah's voice, she was ecstatic about surprising him, hardly able to contain herself as she sadly told him that she had a big project that day and had to be on-campus for it.

She let out a deep breath now, as Dan took a chair next to her and opened a bag of Doritos. "I hope that it all works out ok."

Dan shot her an exasperated look, having heard this almost constantly for the past two days. "It will be fine. He won't know unless you say something to him."

"True, and it's the last thing I'm going to do." She smirked. "I enjoy having the upper-hand."

"Please tell me you aren't talking about your trip again." Nellie walked in, shooting them a sad look.

The pink-haired girl wouldn't be able to go with them this time, due to something planned with her family, and it was bumming her out.

"We'll change the subject." Sinead said quickly, leaning over and snatching a Dorito before looking up at Nellie. "Tell us again about your trip with your family."

' _And you,'_ She told herself sternly, ' _need to focus on getting that schoolwork done and keeping this a secret.'_

* * *

"Turn up the T.V.!" Dan said, sliding in on the couch beside the girls. "Is he doing his new single, the one you showed us Sinead?"

Amy eyed her little brother, "I thought you had packing to do. We are recording it you know."

Dan looked at her like she was crazy. "Already done. The clue hunt turned me into a pro packer."

Sinead pursed her lips, but turned the volume up to full blast. "You mean the single that _just_ came out a week ago but is already #1 practically everywhere? The one you, Amy, and Nellie hassled me about? Yes."

"Are you still bitter over that?" Amy chuckled.

"Yes." Sinead repeated, thinking back to that night when Jonah had sent her an early link to check out his video a few days before it was released to the public.

 _ ***Flashback***_

" _Back it up!" Nellie exclaimed, after she ran in the room at Dan's proclamation of Sinead watching a video of Jonah's. "Why were you trying to hide it from us? Wait…" Nellie's eyes lit up even further. "Is the song about you? It is, isn't it? OMG!"_

 _Sinead sighed, repeating what she had just told Amy, who had asked the same thing. "He said just the second verse. And he hasn't let me look at the lyrics yet or anything; he wanted me to see the entire video." She shot them a glare. "I suppose you guys won't let me watch it alone first."_

" _No way!" Dan exclaimed. "I can't believe we get to see it before everyone else! And that you weren't going to tell us about it."_

" _I was, but after I heard what he wrote about me. What if it's something embarrassing?"_

" _Hey don't be embarrassed, I think it's sweet that he wrote something about you." Nellie gushed._

" _Besides, the entire world is about to hear it." Dan put in breezily._

 _Sinead just glared at them again before giving up and hitting the play button._

 _The video was really cool and the part he wrote for her was sweet, but she tried to keep her face blank as Nellie and Amy squealed over it._

" _Can you keep it down?" Dan complained, and Sinead shot him a look._

" _Really Dan? You just flipped out a few seconds ago."_

" _But that was over really cool dance moves," He protested, "Not mushy lines."_

 _She let out a long-suffering sigh, but didn't say anything else._

 _As soon as the video was done, she shooed everyone out of her room. "Go away."_

 _Nellie smirked. "Got a phone call to make?"_

" _No, I'm re-watching it. Alone." She bit out. "Now leave."_

 ***End Flashback***

She shook off the memory and turned her attention back to the T.V.

They were still in the preliminaries of the show, but she didn't want to miss any of it. Sinead, who had turned in her final that afternoon was antsy but also felt extremely excited knowing that she would see Jonah in less than 24 hours. She tried not to let on to it, but the Cahill siblings knew her too well now, so she had given up about an hour ago.

"Why is this blasted guy still talking?" She asked out loud, and puffed in annoyance.

Amy laughed. "A little anxious are we?"

Seeing Sinead's scowl, she quickly added, "Not that I blame you. I'm actually looking forward to what he is going to do. I like his music now a lot better."

Amy was referring to the recent album Jonah had released, which still featured a bit of rap, but was mainly dance and hip-hop songs. It hadn't decreased his fan base at all, instead seeming to strengthen it, if that were possible.

Sinead just impatiently dropped the remote and stared daggers at the screen, as if that would make them hurry up and move on with the show.

"So do I." Dan responded to Amy's statement. "His music is totally awesome. And his dancing. And he is a lot nicer now too, with none of that fake stuff like during the hunt." He popped a piece of candy in his mouth. "You did pretty good Sinead."

Sinead rolled her eyes. "Thanks?" She said it like a question, still annoyed with him. But their conversation was cut off by the guy on the T.V., who was announcing the guest star that evening.

" _Welcome back to Dancing With The Stars. Our special guest tonight is an 8x Grammy nominee and 3x winner who just released his first single from his latest album, already #1 on the U.S. Charts. With his latest hit, here he is, Jonah Wizard!"_

The crowd went crazy, and Sinead leaned forward as the camera changed scenes. It was dark, and showed a silhouette leaning on a wall. Dan frowned, "Is that him? He doesn't look flashy enough."

As if answering his question, another figure entered the scene, this one dressed in a red suit. "I think that's him." Amy said dryly.

Sinead was too focused to throw her two cents in, and kept her eyes glued to his figure, which she recognized as undoubtedly Jonah as the camera zoomed in, even though it was still dark.

The spotlight shone on him then, and Jonah swaggered to the music, a small smile on his face. The camera then moved to a young boy, who stood up from his chair, pointing and shouting, "Is that Jonah Wizard?"

Amy cooed, "He's so adorable!", as the boy begin to break dance. Sinead nodded but her eyes were already drinking in the next scene, which showed Jonah again, appearing in another flash in front of the judges' stand. The #1 song in the U.S. currently started, and Jonah started doing his thing. He kind of just stood and sang, doing a few dance moves, until he joined his dancers in doing a cartwheel and a backflip.

"Whoooaaa cool." Dan's voice was impressed. Sinead's heart actually dropped, although she knew it was silly. Jonah was a trained professional who knew what he was doing, but still….

As he sang the next line he turned and faced the camera, his hands spreading, singing right into it, Sinead was hit again with the realization of how much he loved performing. He ate it up, the people, the lights, and the attention. Although he always had energy, it was like a light turned on when he hit the stage.

"He's really good." Amy sounded impressed, watching the camera zoom back out and focus on the whole team of dancers. "Did he arrange the whole dance?"

"Yeah." Sinead kept her eyes on the screen. "He choreographed the entire thing, and even planned the costuming. I don't know how he finds time to do it all."

And it was true. Yes, Jonah was a Janus, but she knew how much work he put into every album, performance, tour, dance, and it floored her. He was easygoing by nature, but put him in a studio and he was as meticulous as Sinead was about finding a cure for what her brothers were suffering.

As soon as the show was over and the credits started rolling, Sinead stood. "Well I'm going to finish packing and then call him."

She grinned mischievously. "As much as I hate surprises, it's kind of fun to surprise someone else."

It killed her, but she waited about an hour to make the call, knowing that he would need the time to change back and then get to his car and hotel. She still wasn't used to thinking of him as a major celebrity, but she always had to take into account the media and the fans, who sometimes slowed him down considerably.

His voice sounded energetic when he answered, probably still on a high from his performance. "Hey babe! Did ya catch the show? What did you think?"

He always asked her this, seeming to value her words, even when Sinead thought that she was the last person to give feedback on things like singing and dancing.

"It was great. But I should probably tell you more at the airport tomorrow. Won't it be better in person?"

He didn't say anything, so she just let out a cheery, 'goodbye!' and hung up the phone. Smirking, she descended the stairs, ignoring her phone as he tried to call her back several times.

Amy and Dan were still in the living room, watching a different show, and eyed her as she entered.

"Did you tell him?" Amy asked.

As if on-cue, her phone rang and she stared at it.

"Why is Jonah calling me?" She sounded mystified.

"Don't answer it!" Sinead said quickly, but it was too late.

"Hello?" Amy said, darting her gaze at Sinead. She paused, then said, "Ummm…"

Sinead rolled her eyes; her cousin was a terrible liar. She reached for the phone and Amy handed it to her.

"Oops we must have gotten disconnected." She tried for her most innocent voice, but Jonah apparently wasn't in the mood to play games.

"Are you serious?" He demanded. "You'll be in L.A. tomorrow? Just to say hi or what?"

She grinned, walking down the hall for privacy. "It will be me, Dan, and Amy. And we are flying to Seoul with you and will get to stay a week."

Silence.

When he finally spoke, his voice was stunned. "Really? I thought you had classes."

"I was supposed to," She admitted, leaning against the wall once she got out of eavesdropping distance. "But I arranged with my professor to take my final today, a week early, which is why I couldn't come out to the show tonight. I feel bad about that."

"Don't feel bad." He said quickly. "An entire week getting to spend time with you? I don't even know what to say."

She laughed. "It's been killing me but I wanted to surprise you. Your dad knows of course, but no one else outside of us. I wanted to just show up at the airport but I didn't know if the paparazzi would be around and I didn't want you to react, uh.." Trying to search for the right word, she paused.

"Badly? Like come up and kiss you and end up on the first page of every magazine in the country and probably crash Twitter?" There was laughter in Jonah's voice too. "I'm glad that you told me tonight."

Then he added. "I'm impressed that you did all of this and kept it a secret. Wow."

Hearing the pride in his voice, Sinead felt warmth spread through her. Smiling down at the floor, her free hand went to play with her hair as she responded. "I know. This is going to be the worst 12 hours ever though. I don't know how I'm going to sleep tonight, although with all of the school this week I should collapse."

"Awww baby you need to sleep. Because when you're here you know we won't hardly be doing any of that."

She flushed, even though she knew he didn't mean it the way it sounded.

"I know." She muttered. "I've missed you so much."

Then she bit her lip, hating how weak uttering the words made her feel, like he had too much control over her emotions.

But he responded quickly, "I've missed you more. Seriously, I've been in the worst mood this week. My entire tour group will be happy when you get here."

"Do they know?" Sinead's heart skipped a beat.

"Only my dad and Eric. And I'll probably have to tell my two bodyguards now. But they won't say nothin'."

She could almost hear him thinking on the other line, then he said slowly, "We probably need to keep it low-key. I can just tell my dancers and tour team that you guys are my cousins and leave it at that."

"Ok." Sinead kept her voice mild, but on the inside she was frustrated, knowing that they would have to hide the entire week if they wanted to be alone.

' _But it's worth it. It's him.'_

* * *

 **Just a small note: I am aware that I used double negatives while writing one of Jonah's sentences...lol**


	2. Chapter 2

Sinead craned her neck again, looking for her boyfriend among the people milling about the airport.

"There's really no point in doing that." Dan spoke up from the floor where he was resting against his backpack. "You'll hear the screams and see the massive crowd _way_ before you'll see him."

Sinead bit her lip. "Do you think?" She said, "Jonah said he was going to try to be discreet."

Dan snorted in reply, but Sinead just turned her head again, heart pounding from excitement and nerves.

In theory she shouldn't be nervous about seeing Jonah; they had talked non-stop for the past two months. If fact, the space had done them good in her opinion. Everything had seemed to move so quickly in August and when she was around him it was hard to focus around her attraction to him. On the phone and video calls though she felt like she had space to sort her feelings and emotions out, and also had gotten to know him better. There had even been minimal fighting.

The only argument they had gotten into had been when Sinead told her boyfriend that he needed to stop being so easy-going. But that had been due to Eric, who was pressuring him again to change lyrics.

She thought back to the conversation now.

" _I hate it when you do that!" She had said over the phone, frustrated. "Why don't you stand up to him?"_

 _His response had been mild, irking her even further. "It's not that big of a deal Sinead. I just ignore him and do what I want anyways and normally he backs off."_

" _You shouldn't put up with it. There is no way I would-"_

" _I'm not you," was his response, causing her to let out a big breath._

" _Jonah." She said warningly. "I'm not saying you have to respond like me but you need to lay down the law. Don't let him run your music."_

 _She heard him chuckle a little, still not getting angry. "You would probably tell him off and then go invent something to make his life miserable. I prefer to not stir things up."_

 _Sinead fell into silence, clenching her teeth and making herself not retort back._

" _But," He continued. "You're right in the fact that I need to stand up for myself, and my music. I'll talk to him."_

" _Ok." She replied, still not happy but feeling better about the situation. "Good."_

" _Thanks for being concerned."_

 _She bit back yet another retort, hating when he called her out on caring. It shouldn't bother her - she DID care for him - but still, she had an image to uphold._

" _No biggie." She tried to sound like him, bringing another chuckle from him._

" _How's school going? And how are your brothers?" He asked, and she was glad for the subject change._

 _Really, school was harder this semester even though it shouldn't have been. With her mind on Jonah and their relationship and trying to analyze everything her focus was off. But she was working on it, and knew that she would still get top marks._

 _Not wanting to get into all of that with him though, she latched on to the second question and relayed to him that her brothers were doing extremely well. Ned had only experienced one severe headache over the past two months, and Ted's prescription was holding up for now._

" _I'm still determined to find a cure though." She said firmly, believing with all of her heart that it was out there._

" _I know ya will." He said just as firmly as she had. "I'll let you go now so you can study for that test you were telling me about."_

They had ended the call, and that was that. The only disagreement they had faced. She knew that it was probably due to both of them being so busy and trying so hard to make it work, but she really wanted to keep it up. There had been enough arguments and drama in Beverly Hills between them to last the rest of the year.

She was pulled out of her musings by a roar of excited screams and squeals coming from a wide corridor of the airport, one of the central wings. With an internal groan she realized that Dan was right. There was no way Jonah Wizard could be discreet.

As the crowd got closer, she noticed people at their gate standing up to look, and then the freak-out continued.

"Is that Jonah Wizard?!"

"Wow he is so HOT."

"Do you think he will give out autographs and take pictures?"

These exclamations came from the people - mainly girls - at their own gate, and Sinead felt her heartbeat quicken.

And then there he was, led by his dad and surrounded by Eric and his two bodyguards - and also a host of screaming fans. Normally Jonah took all of this in stride, but now he looked slightly peeved, scanning the gates until he caught sight of his cousins.

His face lit up and he said something to Broderick. His dad nodded and left Jonah standing there, approaching Sinead and the rest of them. Sinead frowned, expecting Jonah to come over as well. She stood up to meet Broderick though, along with Amy and Dan.

Broderick stepped close to them, since now everyone else at their gate was either squealing about Jonah, or trying to lean in and listen to the conversation.

"I've reserved a small lounge for us to wait in." He murmured. "It's away from the crowds where we won't be hounded by the media." He gestured to a couple of paparazzi with cameras, who seemingly came out of nowhere.

Dan's eyes widened. "They have those here?" He said in awe. "Cool!"

"Thank goodness." Amy muttered, eying the cameras nervously.

Sinead silently agreed with both of them, relieved that they wouldn't have to be gawked at. Besides, she wanted to see Jonah without it ending up on the front cover of every gossip magazine.

Well, the front cover might be exaggerating, since the media didn't know about her and Jonah's relationship yet, but it may draw unwanted attention if they weren't careful with how they interacted with each other.

They followed Broderick back to where Jonah was, and exchanged smiles and 'hellos', but nothing more. Jonah's face was impassive, but Sinead could see the happy gleam in his eyes at seeing her. She tried to keep her face schooled at they made their way up an escalator, down a long hallway, and then into the lounge.

The room was fairly decent sized, with a couch, two chairs, coffee table, and even a small fridge. Dan immediately went to it and pulled out a soda. Sinead started to walk in towards the furniture, but as soon as the door closed behind them she was pulled back by her boyfriend.

"Hi." He said as the others walked past them.

"Hi?" She mocked, eyebrows raised as she turned.

Sinead took a moment to take in his features before she leaned up and kissed him. It had been way too long since they had been able to do that. Feeling Jonah smile into their kiss, she reflected that just this right here had been worth all of the hard work to get her class done early.

They pulled back reluctantly after a few seconds though, aware of the other occupants of the room. They were politely sitting and talking, not paying them any attention, so Sinead took the few minutes of privacy to lean up and whisper in his ear.

"I've missed you." She said, a lump in her throat. Jonah gently leaned her back, "I know. Me too." He admitted, his eyes roving over her face. "You look tired."

"So do you." She stated, reaching up and touching under his eyes slightly. Her tone turned teasing. "Even with all of that make-up…"

He laughed, "Hey, I have an image to uphold."

He took her hand then and led her over to a corner of the room away from everyone else, sitting them both down on the padded carpet. There weren't any empty seats left, but Sinead definitely didn't mind this at all. It felt a lot more private over here, like they were having their own reunion. Crossing her legs she leaned over on him, wanting to be as close to him as possible. She wasn't sure when she turned into such a touchy person, but she supposed not seeing him for weeks and weeks probably had something to do with it.

"So about your singing and dancing last night." She shook her head. "I know you're talented Jonah, and a Janus of course, but you still awe me. It was soooo good."

His face was a mixture of surprise and happiness at her words, but then his face dropped and he eyed her carefully.

"You aren't just saying that?" He asked suspiciously. "I know that it wasn't really your style."

Sinead met his look, was that uncertainty in his eyes? Although she knew that Jonah's conceit wasn't just a facade - that he took pride in what he did and still had his arrogant moments - she also knew that his mother's words to him in the past weighed on him at times and would always make him a little unsure of himself.

"It was great." She said firmly. "I can't believe that you did the choreography yourself, especially right in the middle of traveling and back to back concerts. I'm impressed, really."

And then she touched his face again, not being able to help herself. Her heart went out to him as he his face lost the uncertain expression and glowed with pride. He beamed at her, and she felt a twinge of pride also at how she possessed the ability to make him feel better.

Jonah leaned down and kissed her again, this time slowly and sweetly, instead of the hurried kiss they had in the doorway. Forgetting for a minute that there were other people in the room, she responded eagerly, moving her hands to his back where she could feel the warmth of his skin and the muscles beneath his shirt. She tightened her grip and the kiss quickly turned heated, Jonah only stopping after they had run out of breath. He then moved his lips to her neck, causing her to giggle, as it tickled at first.

He halted his antics and glanced up at her in mock offense. "Really, you're laughing at my kissing skills?"

Sinead felt a little embarrassed, she never giggled.

"Sorry, it tickled. And you caught me off guard." She admitted quietly. They hadn't kissed like that since their last day together in Bora Bora.

Jonah just smirked at her, leaning his face down again. He stopped though, as his father's voice boomed out. "Hey son, sorry I know you're catching up with Sinead, but I really need you over here for a minute."

Groaning quietly, he promised, "I'll be back."

Sinead stood up with him, pushing down her annoyance. "It's ok," she reassured him, "I'm thirsty anyways."

She walked over and opened the fridge, only to find it empty. "Really Dan?"

Dan shrugged innocently, ignoring the evil eye she was giving him. "Hey, I only got one."

"Sorry Sinead." Amy was more sympathetic. "I'll go get you one. I can leave right?" She turned and asked one of the bodyguards. He assured her that she would be alright but asked if she wanted him to walk with her. Amy hesitated, and glanced at Sinead, as if asking her what she thought.

Sinead looked over at Jonah, who was in a deep discussion with his dad. It didn't look like he would be getting out of the conversation anytime soon. "I'll go with you." She volunteered.

Jonah looked up at this, frowning. "You two are going by yourselves?" He asked. Sinead hadn't thought he had been listening.

The girls exchanged glances. "I think we will be fine." Sinead replied, but Jonah's brow was still furrowed.

The bodyguard, whose name Sinead had forgotten, answered quickly. "I can walk with them."

"Thanks man." Jonah said, ignoring his girlfriend's answer. Sinead glared at him and opened her mouth to tell him that they were two grown adults but he quickly cut in.

"Please baby, I would feel a lot better."

It just wasn't _fair_ when he used his puppy eyes and pet names on her.

"Fine." She relented.

But she couldn't help but think, as she as she and Amy followed the bodyguard out the door, that the smile on Jonah's face had been worth giving in. What was she turning into?

Her cousin must have been thinking the same thing, because she turned to her as soon as they cleared the hallway. "That was unlike you back there, backing down like that." Her eyes twinkled, but she looked curious too.

Sinead avoided her gaze. "I hate it when he asks nicely, it throws me off my game."

The other girl laughed. "Hey, it's ok to do that sometimes. Compromise in a relationship is always good."

"I guess." Sinead sighed and looked for another topic of conversation. Oh yeah, the nameless bodyguard. He was close enough to hear the girl's talking, but was on the lookout, probably for screaming fangirls that would recognize them. Thankfully the fans must have been too focused on Jonah to notice the other people with him, and they walked on unnoticed.

After they had ordered and received their items, Sinead turned to the bodyguard. "What's your name again?" She asked, feeling guilty that she didn't know. Jonah had mentioned the names of his bodyguards before, she just couldn't remember.

He smiled at her though, not seeming to mind the question. "My name is Chet." He said. "I've been Jonah's bodyguard for five years."

"Oh wow." Sinead said, thinking that five years with Jonah, putting up with the crazy fans and paparazzi, would be enough to drive her crazy. Not to mention how conceited the star had been when he was younger. She eyed him admiringly. "I don't know how you put up with it."

Chet laughed, "You get used to it. Plus I like crowds, always have. It's a good field for me." He winked at her, reminding her of Jonah, and Sinead smiled back at him.

She liked this bodyguard. You would think that with Jonah's reputation in the past, his crew would be jerks or something, and maybe the rest of them were. Sinead was sure she would find out soon.

It was kind of weird though, only a couple of people from Jonah's group knowing that she and he were dating, but it might help her not feel so uncomfortable around them. At least she wouldn't have to worry about Jonah and PDA once they joined everyone else.

They returned to the room to see everyone else just lounging, Jonah's conversation with his dad seemed to be over with, and Sinead had a thought come to her as she glanced around the room.

"Where is everyone else? Like your dancers and stuff, aren't they traveling back to the tour too?"

Broderick answered, "One of the guys had family in L.A. he wanted to see, and the rest wanted to stay a little bit too. So they will fly out this evening and join us tomorrow."

"Oh, that's cool." She thought it was nice of him and Jonah to let them spend time with their families but didn't comment further, setting her drink down on the coffee table and plopping down on the floor in front of it.

"Hey you can sit up here by me." Jonah offered, but Sinead eyed the space between him and his dad. It would definitely be an awkward fit, and there was no way she was going to sit on his lap in front of everyone.

"I'm good." She replied instead, picking up her drink and turning to Dan. "Have you showed Jonah your new dance moves yet?"

"Nope. I need more room for that." Dan gave her a look like she should know this.

She just shrugged at him, and heard movement behind her. She tilted her head to see Jonah grinning at her, having left his place on the couch to sit near her.

"I'll just sit by _you_ then." He said, slipping his arm around her waist.

Sinead smiled at him briefly but caught everyone else's eyes on them, and felt slightly unnerved at being the center of attention. In the corner earlier she felt like no one had paid them any mind. She felt herself tense a little, and she quickly looked at Jonah, hoping that he hadn't noticed.

But Jonah was looking at Dan, adding, "Can't wait to see them man. You're going to love my dance crew. We're even shooting a video next Friday for a campaign. It's not like a music video but there will be dancing in it."

Dan's eyes widened, "Whoa really? That's super cool. Nellie's gonna be so jealous."

His sister frowned at him. "Break it to her gently Dan, or maybe don't say anything at all. She was really bummed about not getting to come along."

Broderick smiled from the couch. "Maybe we can get her to be in a future video or something."

Sinead saw Eric grimace, probably having visions of Nellie and her enthusiasm wrecking the set, and couldn't prevent the smile from spreading across her face.

"She would be in heaven." She agreed, then looked at Jonah. "You'll have to watch her though; she might try to steal your spotlight."

He smiled back at her, and she felt his hand move up slightly to play with her hair. "I'm not worried about that. It's hard to steal my spotlight."

She rolled her eyes at his superior tone, glad that she could cover up the thrill that shot through her at his simple move. Not knowing why - it was _just_ her hair - she tried to ignore it.

Amy snorted. "Nellie has a way though of doing just that. But I agree that she would absolutely be in paradise."

Eric spoke up, and Sinead braced herself, but all he said was that their flight would board in thirty minutes, then changed the subject to the tour.

' _He's probably trying to get the image of Nellie on what 'he thinks' is his set out off his mind.'_

* * *

They finally boarded the plane, it not being as chaotic as Sinead expected, which was a relief. Seated in first class - of course - by Amy, she could hear Jonah ask his dad from the row behind them.

"Who picked out the seats? Can't I switch with Amy?"

Broderick replied firmly in a low voice where probably only you could hear if you strained (like Sinead and Amy were doing), "No. You need to sleep. Plus there are too many curious people around and I don't trust you to keep your hands to yourself."

Sinead flushed as Amy's laughing eyes met hers, but only shook her head as Jonah mumbled something incoherent back to his dad.

' _I should have packed my eavesdropping device.'_ She thought mournfully.

It was something she invented and she was pretty proud of it. Not only could she hear things clearer and louder from far away, but she also could hide it as it looked like normal headphones.

Amy leaned in and whispered to her. "Hey, sorry you're stuck by me."

Sinead gave her a look. "You know I don't mind. Space is good." She muttered back.

"Space?" Amy frowned. "You haven't seen him in months."

She was saved from answering by the flight attendant coming by to check everything, and to let them know that they would be offering drinks and snacks as soon as they cleared take-off. None of them were strangers to flying first class, but she noticed flying with Jonah that this attendant seemed to be hovering, and had already stopped at his aisle several times to check on him.

For the rest of the flight Sinead relaxed, knowing it would be 13 hours before they landed in Seoul, South Korea.

Jonah's European tour had lasted one month, and he only had one week - which he used to write and produce his first single from a new album he was working on - before launching his Asian tour.

They would be in South Korea for the weekend and his show there would be Monday night, then they would switch countries, doing a show in the Philippines before taking a couple of days at the end of the week to do Jonah's video. Sinead had known all of this for awhile but opted not to tell Dan about the video, knowing that he would have drove her crazy asking for details. Plus, it was kind of fun surprising him.

Broderick leaned up then and advised her and Amy to try to sleep for a few hours.

"When we land it will feel like midnight, but will really be four in the afternoon there." He said. "The best thing to do to adjust is to nap now and then when we get there stay awake until that night."

The others agreed, and Amy spoke up. "I still remember the crazy time changes from the clue hunt. I don't know how you guys do it all of the time though."

"You get used to it, sorta." Jonah said, and again Sinead could sense the exhaustion in his voice.

She couldn't imagine flying from Asia, performing on DWTS in the states, then flying back to continue his tour. Even if he did claim he was used to it, she felt like it wasn't easy to do.

Feeling her own exhaustion taking over her, she closed her eyes and let herself drift, knowing that this was going to be a busy week.

* * *

 **Sorry for all of the technical details towards the end...but I thought some readers might be like me and track things like time changes/dates when you read stuff.**

 **Also…..please tell me if the kissing/romance scenes are awkward, because sometimes I feel a little weird writing them! xD**


	3. Chapter 3

_Amy's POV_

They finally exited the plane, and although Amy had to admit that first class was better than economy, it had still been a long flight.

She was wary of the crowds she was sure they would face upon entering the airport and getting to the car, so she tried to walk closer to Sinead, hoping that her friend didn't notice.

' _It's not like she can hold hands with Jonah now anyways_.'

But it wasn't just that. Sinead and Dan had reacted better to the crowds and paparazzi at LAX better than she had, not even acting nervous about the cameras on them at times. She didn't want to spend the entire trip freaking out like a baby, so she made herself focus on keeping her face straight and walking with confidence, unlike how she felt.

"This is totally awesome." She heard Dan say, and glanced over her shoulder, where he was walking beside Jonah in between his two bodyguards.

Jonah caught her glance and flashed her an excited grin, saying, "Hey slow down for a sec."

He said something to Chet and as the girls obeyed the bodyguard took place beside them.

"Do you think the crowds will be over us?" Sinead asked Chet, puzzled. "Won't Jonah need the protection more?"

"You're with Jonah, so the media will zero in on you too once they realize you are all together." He explained, and Amy couldn't hold in the shudder.

Sinead noticed and shot her a sympathetic look, but she also looked determined. "I can handle them."

Behind them she heard Dan and Jonah chuckle, but no one denied Sinead's claim.

' _I need to be more like her.'_ Amy decided. ' _I won't let them get to me this week.'_

As if reading her thoughts Sinead leaned in, whispering to her, "Come on, let some of that fieriness you have come out. Then you can just blame it on the hair."

Amy laughed, caught off-guard by her comment. "But mine is harder to see. I can't get away with stuff that you can."

She pointed to her cousin's hair for emphasis, but Sinead just rolled her eyes at her.

"I doubt my hair color could keep me out of jail." She replied, then sighed, "Unfortunately."

They arrived at the terminal then, Broderick and Eric still ahead and motioning them through the crowds. Thank goodness they had arranged for extra security inside, but Amy still was freaking out inwardly.

She decided to just focus on their backs and tried to tune the screams out as they headed towards the door that would lead to a private hallway, which finally would lead to the car. She was glad that there always seemed to be a plan and that Jonah's dad constantly kept them in the loop.

Beside her, Sinead was muttering under her breath. "This is so stupid. Don't they know how desperate they sound?"

Amy bit back a retort, knowing that Sinead would just get defensive if she voiced it. She wasn't sure, but she detected a bit of jealousy in her cousin's tone, and thought it might be due to one pretty blonde haired girl who kept calling out how much she wanted to 'make Wizard babies with Jonah'.

Dan muttered 'awkward' from behind him but Jonah didn't say anything, probably used to stuff like that.

Sinead just reached out and gripped Amy's arm, glaring straight ahead. Amy wanted to laugh, but again wisely held it in.

They reached the hallway and she let out a huge breath. "We made it." She said, before she could catch herself.

"Yeah, sorry. Traveling with me isn't lots of fun." Jonah sounded apologetic.

Sinead spoke as she let go of Amy's arm. "I would have already strangled people from that crowd if I were you." She bit out. "Especially..." But she stopped, clamping her lips together.

"Especially..?" Jonah sounded curious.

"The girl who was about to hop over the rail and jump Jonah?" Dan suggested. "She was scary. I would have placed my bet on you though Sinead."

Due to the quietness of the hallway the entire group heard him and laughed (even Eric), causing Sinead to shoot Dan a glare.

"I didn't say who it was." After a heartbeat though, she added with a smirk, "But yeah, I'm not scared of Jonah's crazy fan-girls."

"That's funny, cause even I am sometimes." Jonah put in, but Amy could hear the laughter in his voice.

He and Sinead were just too cute, in that weird way, being a couple that most people probably couldn't picture together. But knowing Sinead really well and spending enough time with Jonah in August, Amy could see how they fit.

Like now, as Jonah slipped up behind Sinead and stopped her for a quick kiss before they exited the hallway. Amy saw her auburn-haired cousin smile a little before trying to act nonchalant, but she knew that she was pleased.

Jonah was the perfect balance to Sinead's sharpness, bringing out a side that most people didn't think she was capable of. But Amy always knew that she had a soft side, ever since the gauntlet when she had admitted to wanting the serum to help her brothers. Amy was glad that Jonah could see it too.

' _I just wish that Ian could see something like that in me.'_

The thought came and she tried to push it aside, to no avail. Even the screaming fans that were grouped around the limo couldn't distract her.

' _Stop thinking about him.'_ She lectured herself. ' _You want this trip to be a get-away, he's not allowed remember?'_

But she had a feeling that he would keep popping up in her thoughts this week, especially witnessing Jonah and Sinead interacting with each other. She was happy for them of course, but the last time she had witnessed them in person together had been back in Bora Bora, which brought back memories of the dark-skinned, dark-eyed British boy that she was desperately trying to forget.

"Man, do your limos always light up?" Her brother's voice pulled her back down to earth.

Sometimes his enthusiasm got on Amy's nerves, but right now she was thankful for it as Dan started rummaging through the limo, pointing out cool things to her and anyone else who was listening.

She made herself join him in leafing through the snacks, and pushed stupid boys and their stupid girlfriends on a back shelf in her mind.

* * *

 _Jonah's POV_

 _Exhilarated._

Jonah wasn't crazy about using big words, but that was the only one he could think of to describe how he felt.

Surprisingly he slept most of the flight, forcing his mind to shut off since he knew he needed the sleep. Especially with Sinead here.

Glancing over at her and holding back the impulse to kiss her again, he studied her features while she was busy lecturing Dan about the dangers of too much sugar.

' _She's so beautiful. And cute when she gets in that mode. Poor Dan. And-'_

"So Jonah," Eric's voice cut into his musings. "Are you ready to hit the studio tonight?"

Jonah jerked his head over at him, already opening his mouth to protest, (he noticed Sinead suddenly got quiet too) when Eric let out a laugh.

"Just kidding. Your face was priceless."

Jonah shot him an annoyed look, but smiled to himself. Ever since he had stood up to Eric that time, the man had eased up on him.

' _He must have realized that I push myself enough and he doesn't have to. Or that I can handle my own music just fine.'_

Whatever it was, he was so glad that he followed Sinead's advice. Although he wasn't comfortable with that sort of situation, he thought he handled it pretty well.

Speaking of Sinead, she was leaning in close, near enough where he could feel her shoulder brush his and her hair tickle his arm. "What are the plans for tonight?"

He shrugged, a little guilty that he hadn't thought of anything. He was more the 'take it one day at a time' type, and with finding out late that she was joining him hadn't formed any plans yet.

"I hadn't thought that far I guess." He muttered by her ear. "We can see what the hotel has. Sometimes we get suites and can all hang out in them."

He swallowed, not wanting this to come out wrong but wanting to suggest it. He noticed that Sinead seemed a little uneasy around him, but hoped it was just due to everyone being around them. She had been fine when they were off by themselves in the lounge, so that was probably it.

"We could hang out alone in one of our rooms." He said, then added quickly. "Just to talk or whatever."

He heard the grin in her voice. "Sure. _Talk_."

Surprised but happy at her reaction, he let out a little laugh and pushed her hair back from her shoulder, his fingers lingering on her collarbone, rubbing a slow circle over the fabric there. He kinda wished that she was wearing a tank top instead of the long-sleeve plaid shirt she had on.

' _I bet her skin is soft underneath.'_ He thought, then shook it off and moved his hand back. Stuck in a limo with his dad, bodyguards, and other cousins probably wasn't a good place to let his mind wander like that.

Instead he went back to studying her between conversing with the others, trying to be discreet about it. Still a little off-balance that she was here beside him instead of miles and miles away where only technology could connect them, he drank her features in, memorizing her like he wouldn't see her ever again.

He'd never really been attracted to red-heads before Sinead, but everything about her drew him in, and not just her physical attributes.

' _Your old friends would laugh if they heard your thoughts now. You aren't supposed to feel this way about anyone. You're Jonah Wizard. It's supposed to be all about looks and what you can get.'_

And it was about looks, to a degree. Her beauty was what first pulled at him. But now, it was more than that, even after their first few arguments it had turned into more than attraction. He loved her fiery spirit, her sarcasm, the way she stood up for herself and didn't back down, her directness (unless it involved her emotions, which he learned in August). And then her determination, especially when it came to her degrees and helping her family.

And she was loyal, something that was rare in Jonah's life. But he figured when Sinead gave out loyalty that it could be trusted. And he did trust her.

' _At least I think I do. I hope the craziness of this week doesn't scare her off. We've talked about the fans and media but she hasn't really experienced it yet. There isn't hardly any privacy to my life. And not everyone stays loyal.'_

His mother's face popped up in his head, and he winced. Not this again, she wasn't supposed to creep into his thoughts, especially not now.

"So we have the entire floor to ourselves?" He heard Amy say, her voice full of relief.

"Yes," His dad answered. "Everyone has to remember to carry their key around at all times though, since you've got to have it in the elevator to reach the floor."

"Yeah," Jonah joined the conversation, glad for the distraction. "We always try to do it like that. The peace is nice."

But he got his thrill from the crowd, and probably always would. Extroverted all the way, he felt more energetic around his fans, although at times it was overwhelming.

He thought back to Sinead's reaction at the airport, and hoped that it wouldn't get to be too much for her. Writing off her anger as possessiveness at the time, he hadn't really considered that she may have been angry because she hated crowds. But she didn't react like Amy, as if she was terrified of them. More like it annoyed her, so maybe she would learn how to deal with them better.

' _Aren't you always telling Sinead to just go with the flow? Stop stressing out and enjoy your time with her.'_

* * *

It was nearly six before they reached the hotel and got settled in their rooms.

Jonah quickly ran through the shower and changed, then texted Sinead.

' _ **Hey which room # ya got?'**_

She didn't answer right away, and he was considering asking his dad when his phone lit up.

' _ **1524\. I'm sharing a suite with Amy. Pretty nice. You can come visit us.'**_

He frowned, not realizing that she would be sharing, but then shrugged and went to find it. Only a few doors down from his, he made it there in seconds.

Sinead answered the door and motioned for him to come in. Noticing right away that her hair was damp and she was wearing a thin t-shirt, he gulped.

Walking in he also heard the shower running and assumed that's where Amy was.

So they were totally alone, in her bedroom, with her looking all kissable and smelling really good.

Great.

' _Get a grip. You've got more control than this.'_

He turned to Sinead, who was sitting down in a chair by the table in the room. Was she using it as a barrier? But he noticed that her laptop was open and thought maybe she was checking on something for school.

"Hang on, let me log out." She said, confirming his suspicions. "I was just checking on a grade but it's not posted yet. Guess it will probably be in a few days."

With a few clicks she was standing up and closing it down.

Then she shot him a look that was both hesitant and sly at the same time, walking over to him.

"Hi." She said, but stopped right in front of him.

"Hi sexy." He said, closing the distance and wrapping her into an embrace. "I still can't believe you're here." He muttered into her hair, not caring how sappy he was sure he sounded.

She shifted a little, but it was just to wrap her arms around him too. "I know." He heard the smugness in her tone. "I'm good, or I've been told anyways."

"Well yeah, duh." He pulled back to kiss her, but kept it light, hearing the shower go off next door.

After a few seconds he pulled back even more, "Have you thought about what to do?"

She released him, shaking her head. "Dan mentioned something about Korean martial arts but I have no idea what they have like that here."

Shooting a look at the bathroom door, she lowered her voice and said, "Amy of course was blabbing about historical sights. What I want to do? Hang out with you, so I'm up for whatever."

Her saying something like that shouldn't envelop him in a warm fuzzy feeling, but it did, since she hardly ever admitted stuff like that to him.

Really, sometimes he couldn't read her at all and had to guess what she was thinking, so he liked it when she was transparent like that.

' _She's a lot more complex than people think. Especially when it comes to romantic feelings.'_

"You have a funny look on your face."

"Do I?" He looked at her, glad that she couldn't read _his_ thoughts. "I was just thinking."

"More like plotting," She muttered under her breath, but Amy walked out, interrupting them

"Hey Jonah, so what are the plans?" She asked, not even looking surprised to see him there. "Hopefully we won't run into more of your fan girls whatever we do."

He shrugged, wishing that he had used some of the plane ride to think of stuff. He didn't really like the pressure of being in charge. His dad normally did that.

Deciding to confess, he replied. "Honestly, I'm not a planner. Eric and my dad handle everything like that when we arrive at new cities. I could ask dad if there are any dinner plans."

Seeing them exchange looks, he added a "sorry", but Sinead gave him a steady look.

"Don't feel bad. We kind of sprung this on you."

"Yeah," Amy agreed. "We're joining _you_ while you're working so don't feel the need to entertain us or anything."

Just like that the pressure lifted, and he breathed out a sigh. "Thanks. I want you guys to enjoy your time though. I know this is a break for all three of ya."

Amy laughed dryly. "Dan's in heaven getting to join your tour like he did once before, and I'm happy to spend time with everyone and to see the history while not having the pressure of chasing clues."

She didn't say anything else, and Sinead shot her a quick look.

Jonah couldn't help it. "You didn't say anything about Sinead." He commented in an innocent voice.

His girlfriend smirked, answering before Amy could. "A break from school and homework? Why wouldn't I be happy?"

He looked at her in mock offense. "So you're tellin' me your boyfriend has nothing to do with it?"

"My _boyfriend_ will be busy most of the time, unfortunately."

He could tell that she was joking, but he still pulled her up to him in one swift movement.

"I'm never too busy for you." He said, all teasing gone from his voice.

He saw Sinead swallow and really wanted to kiss her again, but he was aware that they weren't the only two people in the room.

He glanced over at Amy before releasing Sinead but he didn't step away from her.

Amy spoke up. "Hey if you two want to do something alone tonight Dan and I will understand."

' _Yes.'_ Jonah thought, but felt kind of bad saying it out loud.

Amy gave both him and Sinead a firm look when neither of them answered. "Seriously, you guys haven't seen each other in two months. We get it. Dan especially does even if he tries to act like he doesn't."

"That would be nice." Sinead admitted, and Jonah caught the grateful look she shot her cousin.

Amy shrugged. "No big deal."

But Jonah jumped in. "Really Amy, thank you. After tonight it's going to be way hard to hang alone with Sinead without raising any eyebrows."

He saw Sinead wrinkle her nose but she just said. "Let me go do my hair." She threw him a look. "You can wait in here if you want…"

"Eh, it's okay. Text me when you're ready and I'll come back." He backed to the door, knowing if he stayed he would just get in their way.

"I like your hair like that though." He called as he exited.

He didn't hear a reply but that was fine; he was already on Google trying to figure out something they could go do. Then an article caught his eye, and his face lit up as he glanced at the attraction.

' _Perfect.'_


	4. Chapter 4

"What are you wearing?" Amy asked Sinead once Jonah left.

Sinead bit her lip. "I'm not sure. Nothing to attract too much attention to us." At her cousin's laugh she lifted her head up. "What did I say?"

"Sinead, tourists already draw enough attention, but you're a redhead. You're going to stick out like a sore thumb."

Sinead groaned. "I didn't even think about that. Should I wear a hat?"

Amy shrugged. "You're asking the wrong person. Text Natalie or something."

Ignoring her advice Sinead went over to the closet and pulled out a pair of black jeans and laid them on the bed, then set a dark blue shirt and light blue denim jacket over it.

"I could wear this with a light brown beanie and boots." She said. "And maybe a scarf? It's what, about 65 degrees outside?"

"Do you know where he's taking you?" Amy asked.

"No, I guess I should find out." She quickly sent Jonah a text and waited for his reply, frowning at the outfit again.

"Are you nervous?" Amy's voice cut into her analysis.

"A little," she admitted, still studying the clothes. "I shouldn't be. It's just him, and we've been talking and doing video calls non-stop. But it's kind of weird being with him in person after so long."

"I could tell earlier." Amy said. "But I'm sure tonight will help out."

"Yes, thanks for that." She looked at her cousin now. "I don't want to be one of those people who is all about her boyfriend but-"

"Don't be ridiculous. You see me and Dan all of the time. This week you have the right to be like that. It's a totally different scenario."

Her voice was firm and gave Sinead the assurance she needed. "Okay, good. But still, you have to let me know if I start acting obsessed."

Amy laughed. "You are the last person who would act like that. Really I'm surprised at your control so far."

Sinead grinned at her friend. "I'm good at keeping it contained in public. Jonah's not as good."

She looked down at her phone to see that Jonah had replied with a simple ' _casual'_ and concentrated on finishing getting ready.

* * *

Before they left, Broderick called a quick meeting in his suite.

"Alright, so Jonah and Sinead are going off on their own, and Dan and Amy are too. I'm sending a bodyguard with both of you."

"Dad, I can handle-" Jonah started to protest, but Broderick shot him a stern look.

"Chet can be on standby in the car if you want, but I'm not budging on this. Also, be back by ten."

"Seriously, ten?" Jonah interrupted again, looking annoyed. "This is the only night that Sinead and I probably have alone together the whole week and we gotta be back by ten? It's already six-thirty!"

"You have a show tomorrow. And in the last two days you've had two major time adjustments and hardly any sleep, not to mention that Amy, Dan, and Sinead are probably going to have to adjust too. This is the only night I'm giving you guys a curfew though."

"Ten is fine Broderick." Amy said quickly, seeing that Jonah was about to argue again. "Thanks for letting us go off alone. Well, kind of alone."

Sinead saw Jonah cut his eyes at Amy but all he said was "Yeah thanks." The answer was short, but his dad looked amused instead of annoyed.

"I know you're worried about the crew showing up and you not getting any more time with Sinead but I'll help you think of something." Broderick said, then he looked directly at Sinead. "You know that I don't mind you dating and I'm sorry if I sound too harsh about this."

Sinead felt a little disconcerted being the center of attention, but she shook it off and smiled at Jonah's dad. "I understand completely."

Jonah let out a sigh. "I get it too." He said reluctantly. "So is that all? Can we go now?"

"Yep. See you all in a bit."

It was quiet downstairs and outside, no one having picked up Jonah's trail yet, but she noticed that he still pulled up his jacket and ducked his head as they climbed into the back seat of a rental car. Sinead was glad that they weren't in something flashy, but missed the privacy that a limo would have offered. It was only a driver and Chet with them but still…

"So what I wanna show you is after dinner. We don't have much time so I'm glad I didn't pick somewhere too fancy."

"Is it a long drive or something?" She asked, fiddling with her rings, not sure why anxiety had hit her all of a sudden.

"Yeah, kinda. But at least we get to _talk_ back here."

The suggestiveness of his tone made her blush, and she wanted to kick herself.

' _Why are you blushing? Quit being so nervous around him.'_

She covered it up with a low, "We aren't alone right now."

"They aren't paying any attention." His voice was low also. She heard the 'click' of his seatbelt and suddenly he was _right_ beside her, stroking her face and neck softly.

Her breathing picked up and she tensed but tried not to let on. He noticed though. "Is this not okay?" He asked, sounding a little hurt.

"Of course it's okay."

He didn't say anything in reply. Sighing inwardly at how sensitive he was acting, she leaned up near his ear to confess. "I'm just feeling a little anxious. It's been awhile since we've been on a date you know."

"Oh." His fingers went back to her face, but this time she leaned into his touch. "I'm not used to you being shy I guess. You're always so confident."

"Not when it comes to this stuff. You should remember from back in August. Over the phone I'm fine but being around you in person…" She trailed off, not wanting to confess her heavy attraction to him. Already feeling like she had said too much, she muttered, "But anyways, I'm not _shy._ "

He laughed, "You're complex."

"That had better be a compliment."

He leaned closer and kissed her nose. "Of course it is baby."

She met his eyes, although it was too dark in the car to really see his features. Overwhelmed suddenly by the realization that they were together after two long months and going out alone on a date, she dropped her gaze and tentatively put her head on his shoulder, wanting to feel him close. He shifted so that he could wrap his right arm around her and she let out a content sigh.

' _I used to scoff when I would see couple's cuddling. Now I get it though.'_

Feeling bold, she took her right hand and lightly traced the muscles on his ribcage.

"You've been working out."

"Yeah I've gotta." Was it just her imagination or did his voice sound a little rougher? He continued, "With all of the dancing I do working out is part of my daily routine."

"I like to work out too." Sinead admitted. "There's a gym at the college. But I usually only go about twice a week."

"That's better than nothin'."

"Yeah." Continuing to run her hand over his stomach she didn't realize how low she was wandering until she felt him stiffen. "Oh, sorry." She withdrew her hand quickly and tried to move her head too.

"It's okay." His arm around her held her in place, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "You just caught me off-guard."

She couldn't help the smirk from growing on her face. Too bad he couldn't see it.

"Hmmm did I?" She decided to let it out in her voice instead, and he growled playfully at her.

"That wasn't on purpose was it?"

She started to answer but he nuzzled her face, this time catching _her_ off-guard. Laughing she swatted him away. "Of course it wasn't."

Thankfully he didn't take offence this time, reaching over and tickling her instead. But in her eyes, this was one of the worst things he could do.

"I HATE being tickled-Jonah!" He wasn't listening to her, and now they were on _his_ side of the car where she had tried to retreat. Desperately she decided to resort to outside help. "Chet, help me out! Your charge is about to get _beat up._ "

Laughing the burly security guard turned in his seat. "Jonah," he said in mock reproof. "I don't want to have to explain to your dad that you disappeared in the night."

But the celebrity ignored both of them and persisted; only Sinead was ready this time, launching herself at him to try to throw him off. It worked, kind of. Now they were on the other side of the car but Jonah recovered quickly and was trying to find her ribcage again. Sinead could barely think through her laughter, both at the tickling _and_ her boyfriend's surprised face when she had lunged at him.

A sharp voice from the driver's seat cut them off though. "I'm _trying_ to drive in traffic. Could you tone it down back there?"

Feeling like she was back in middle school, Sinead immediately untangled herself from Jonah and retreated back to his original seat with him now in her seat. It was dead quiet in the vehicle, but when she glanced over at Jonah she could see that he was almost choking from trying to hold back laughter. Mirth overtook her again and now _she_ was chuckling and had to turn her face to keep it contained.

After a few minutes they finally had composed themselves and Jonah scooted over again. This time he kept his hands to himself, showing her a Google page on his phone.

"Hey I pulled up some places of things to in Manila. I don't know if we'll get to slip anyway anymore but here are the options."

She glanced at the list of 'Top things to do in Manila" but shrugged at him. "I don't care." She said truthfully. "Is it going to be hard to get time to ourselves? How long are we there?"

"We're flying out Tuesday morning but have that entire day free. And my concert isn't until Wednesday night."

He sighed and pulled the phone back. "And I don't know if we'll get to get away. I'm hoping that I can tell 'em you're all my cousins and I wanna spend time with you, then we can split from Dan and Amy again."

"Let's just play it by ear." She said quickly, not liking the mood that was falling in the car. Reaching for his hand, she held it on his lap. "At least we have tonight."

"Yeah."

That was all he said, but she felt him squeeze her hand tighter.

They arrived at the food place, but Jonah leaned up to Chet. "We're running out of time. Do you mind going in and getting our food?"

Chet agreed and a few minutes later they were on their way to their destination. Sinead noted that it looked like they were right in the middle of the city, and wondered if Jonah just wasn't worried about his cover being blown or what. They approached a bridge and she thought that they would cross it. But the car pulled over to a grassy area and Jonah got out.

Hesitantly, she looked around. It looked like an area that someone might play a soccer game in. It was right by the main road too. But she stepped out of the car, where Jonah was getting into the trunk, Chet by his side.

"Hey can ya carry this?" He was handing her a blanket and she took it, bemused. Were they going to have a picnic here? Jonah must have read her expression because he chuckled. You'll know why in about-" He checked the time -"twenty minutes."

Chet left them after warning them to stay inconspicuous and that he would be close by, and then it was just them.

Jonah was walking towards the water so Sinead trailed behind him, trying not to feel out of place here, thousands of miles from home, surrounded by a completely different culture. There weren't just tons of people out, but she had caught plenty of looks already. Her boyfriend picked a good spot though, not facing the water, but the bridge going across the highway. She arched a brow at him but he was busy laying the blanket out and setting out their food.

"You aren't going to tell me what's going to happen at eight are you?" She asked, already plotting. If she typed in 'Seoul, bridge, 8:00…'

"No and give me your phone or put it up. No cheating"

Frowning over at him, she muttered. "Aren't we bossy."

"Hey I hardly ever get to be bossy with you." She could hear the grin in his voice, but reached over and swatted him playfully, even as she was putting her phone back in her pocket.

"Fine. Whatever. I don't really want distractions tonight anyways." Then a thought came to her, and she bit her lip, not wanting to sound like an annoying teenage girl. "Uh, can we take a picture?"

It was dark but she could still see his head lift to look at her. "After we eat." She said quickly. "You know I won't share it or anything. I just want to have one."

Then she wanted to kick herself for sounding so...so... _dependent? Clingy?_

But he was answering calmly. "Of course we can. Good idea. We didn't take any pictures of our first date and I hated that afterwards."

"Really?" She was surprised. Then she commented offhandedly in a joking tone - aware of how conceited Jonah could be at times, "I'm surprised that you don't hate pictures with the media and fans constantly taking them of you."

"Nah you know they don't really bother me. But anyways, I don't want a picture to see _me._ "

"I thought you loved pictures of yourself." She teased, trying to cover up her pleasure at his words. "I'm shocked."

He scoffed. "Shocked that I would rather have a picture of you than me? You shouldn't be. You probably have guys tryin' to sneak pictures of you all the time."

She laughed at the thought. "Uh, no. Guys don't really look at me like that."

Now he let out a laugh. "Ya know, for being so smart you're so _oblivious_ sometimes. They definitely look. And who can blame 'em?"

Glad that the darkness was partway hiding her blush, she just looked down at her food. "Whatever. _You're_ the one that's always in the 'Sexiest People of the Year" lists."

"You brush off compliments a lot." He said, not playing along like she thought he would. And she couldn't read his tone.

Suddenly uncomfortable, she took a bite, hoping that he would let it slide. But when she looked up he was staring at her, his features lit up by the lamplight from above.

"What?" She said self-consciously.

"I'm just trying to figure out how you're so confident with everything except for certain things, like your looks and dating. Haven't any guys ever told ya how beautiful you are?"

He sounded puzzled, and she racked her brain for an explanation. Sighing, she finally admitted. "No. Guys in the past haven't exactly tried to get close to me or anything. I think I was too tough for a girl. Or too brainy, or-"

"They were total wimps." Jonah inserted. "Let's go with that one."

She couldn't help but laugh. "Okay."

It was quiet, and then she added softly. "And thank you for the compliment."

"You're welcome. I wouldn't lie to you." He answered.

Finished with their food, he got up to throw everything away and returned, wrapping his arm around her and checking his phone again. "Only two minutes." He said and she heard the excited note in his tone. "What do ya think it is?"

"Hmmm…" She looked around. "Well, we're facing the bridge which is kind of strange. But it looks like just a normal bridge. Fireworks maybe? Or some sort of light show?"

"You're kinda close." But he didn't say anything else, and they lapsed into silence, enjoying each other's presence without saying anything.

Sinead tried not to let her brain get too mushy. It wasn't good for a person to have their head in the clouds all of the time instead of here in reality. But she allowed herself to get caught up in the moment, closing her eyes and leaning her head over on Jonah's shoulder.

"Hey you're not gonna be able to see like that." He shifted her where she was sitting in front of him - between his legs with her head in the crook of his neck - and proceeded to wrap both arms tightly around her.

"See what?" She asked, trying to distract herself from the feeling of his body so close to hers. An unfamiliar feeling had washed over her when he did that. She felt safe, like he was protecting her.

Which was silly, she was a big girl and didn't need protection. But still, it was a nice feeling, it reminded her that she had someone she could lean on. She had to admit that in the last two months she had been leaning on him quite a bit. Not for major things, but just unloading on him about school and her brothers (like when Ted had informed her that Ned had a major migraine one week after they returned back home) helped take some of the stress away.

' _It's not like it's a bad thing Sinead. Besides, you've been there for him too. How many times has he revealed to you how stressed he is and has seemed better by the end of the phone call?'_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the bridge. To her surprise, streams of water were shooting out of the sides, a rainbow of colors.

"Wow. It's beautiful." She breathed, impressed.

"They call it the rainbow fountain. I think the show lasts for a while too."

It did, and as the show went on she basked it all in. The lights, the colors, the warm breeze, the _person_ sitting behind her. Suddenly feeling overwhelmed again like earlier in the car, she reached for his hands, intertwining them with hers and rested them on her stomach.

After the show they sat there, discussing different things, and Sinead felt most of the awkwardness and nerves from seeing him after so long slide away. There was something about simply talking to him that calmed her down. It reminded her that while they were dating and physical affection was part of it, their open communication was what made her first fall for him. She wasn't so closed up around him, and she knew that he told her things he wasn't comfortable sharing with anyone else either. She even found herself admitting it to him as another light show started.

"You know, I talk about things with you that I don't ever with anyone else."

"I do too." She could hear the smile in his voice. "I love talking to you. There's something about just knowing that you won't judge me."

"Hmm. That's the way I feel with you." Then she laughed. "It's so weird to think that only three months ago I couldn't stand you. And you talk about me not judging you." She tried to hide the guilt in her tone but didn't think she pulled it off.

"Well, you don't now. Besides, all of that's in the past." He reminded her, shifting her a little so he could look down at her. "I don't hold it against ya. I'm just glad that we gave each other a chance and are here right now."

"Me too."

They sat there awhile, until Jonah's phone rang. He answered it and a few seconds later was pulling them up, cursing under his breath. "It's ten minutes til ten."

"Really?" It hadn't seemed like that much time had passed, but she joined him in picking up their stuff from the ground.

"Yep. Chet said he fell asleep and I wasn't paying attention to the time. Dad's gonna be mad."

Sinead winced, but to her it didn't seem like that big of a deal. Traffic was already better and they shouldn't be that late.

They hopped into the car as soon as it pulled up and then they were off. Sinead stayed quiet, sleepiness overtaking her suddenly, so she leaned back on the seat and closed her eyes, still feeling the same emotions that were churning through her earlier. Contentment, peace, and something else.

' _Love.'_

She started as the word floated through her mind, and immediately started lecturing herself, even as her heart was beating fast.

' _It's just your hormones. There's no way you can love him after such a short time. It's just infatuation. And all of the romance that just happened.'_

Jonah was quiet too, and when she glanced over she saw that his eyes were closed too. He opened them though when she was about to look away, and it took her a second to find her voice.

"Whatcha staring at?" The flirtiness combined with the sleepiness of his tone made her smile softly.

"You. Thanks for taking me out Jonah. You picked a great place for a date."

"I knew you would like it." He yawned as his eyes fluttered closed again. "I wanted us to just be able to talk and stuff. And you're welcome. I love taking you out."

She thought maybe he drifted off, but then he added. "I wish I could more often."

"It's okay. This was perfect."

He didn't reply but Sinead figured he was just dozing or something. She was almost there herself. Nothing else was said until they reached the hotel, and Sinead glanced at the clock. 10:36. That wasn't too bad right? But when they entered the lobby she saw Broderick sitting on a couch across from Amy in the corner, and as she and Jonah approached he stood and shot his son a glare.

He opened his mouth but Jonah cut him off. "Hey we tried. It's better than midnight right?"

His dad's face darkened, and Jonah quickly pulled Sinead towards the other end of the lobby. "Well we're going up now to get some sleep. Goodnight!"

Ignoring Broderick's frown they quickly hit the elevators. Once inside with the doors closed, they both burst into laughter.

"Oops." She said. "Should we apologize?"

"Nah, he'll be fine." The elevator door opened and Jonah motioned for her to step out first. "I'll walk ya to your room."

She didn't attempt to argue, wanting to savor the last few moments alone with him, knowing that starting tomorrow they would be few and far between.

"Well, goodnight." She said, turning to him once they were in front of the door.

"Night." He replied, and leaned in.

She had been expecting a short goodnight kiss before he left. What she didn't expect was for him to push her gently against the door, holding her shoulders while he kissed her like he wouldn't see her again for months.

Vaguely she could hear the sound of someone walking by but couldn't bring herself to care, especially when his lips went to her neck before returning back to hers. Sinead forgot where they were as her hands found his chest and she kissed him back.

After a few seconds Jonah slowed down, his kisses growing softer and then she felt him pull away. "You have your key right?"

"Key?" She asked dumbly as she opened her eyes, head still whirling. What did a key have to do with anything?

He looked amused. "Your room key. Ya know, to get in. Unless you wanna spend the night in _my_ room."

Gulping even though she knew he was kidding (she hoped anyways) she stammered. "I-I have it. Right here."

She dug through her purse and willed her hands to stop shaking. Clasping it in her hand she looked up at him. His eyes were dark and he was staring back at her intently.

"Too bad." He said, then looked away. "You'd better go inside."

"Okay." Her breathing was still off as she repeated again. "Goodnight."

"Sleep well." He stood there until she walked in and he gently shut the door behind her.

' _Hormones. It's JUST hormones. Get a grip.'_

The door opened after just a minute, and Amy cautiously peeked in. "Good, it's safe."

"What do you mean?" Proud of how steady her voice was, she frowned up at her cousin.

"Well after that make-out session I just witnessed..."

"Oh. You saw that?" Looking away, she busied herself with putting her phone on the charger.

"Uh yeah, I came up right after you. You didn't hear me pass in the hallway? I decided to keep walking though."

Sinead let out an embarrassed laugh. "I heard someone but was a little preoccupied. Sorry."

Amy laughed also but hers sounded amused. "I'm just teasing you. I blame Jonah more anyways."

No longer feeling weird, Sinead shrugged. "It actually _was_ his fault, although he would deny it. Anyways, how was yours and Dan's night?"

Amy told her and then wanted to know where Jonah had taken her. There wasn't much talking after that though. Sinead could feel the jet-lag start to set in, and soon both girls were ready for bed. She had a feeling that a week with Jonah would merit all of the sleep she could get.

* * *

 **I hope that this still has a realistic edge to it, though I can't see all of that happening without Jonah getting recognized. But that's why it's called 'fan** _ **fiction**_ **' right?**

 **Thanks for all of the reviews BTW, it makes my day when I get them! (And motivates me to write more ;))**


	5. Chapter 5

Jonah cautiously peered into the private room of the hotel, reserved especially for his team this morning. There was his father, sitting at a table by himself, already digging into his breakfast.

 _I don't know how he gets up so early. Yo, the sun's only been up for a couple of hours._

Gathering his courage, he stepped inside and slid into the seat next to him. While Jonah had assured Sinead last night that his dad would cool off, he wasn't sure if enough time had lapsed yet. Normally he didn't mind getting in trouble - let's face it, he was a rule-breaker by heart - but this week wasn't the time he wanted to push his 'manager'.

"Hey dad."

Much to his relief, the other man looked over at him with a smile. "Good morning son, how did you sleep?"

"Great. Um, sorry about last night. I really did lose track-"

But Broderick was waving him off, "It's okay, Chet talked to me too. No big deal. Did you guys have fun?" Then he chuckled. "I guess that's a silly question."

Jonah allowed a small grin to cross his face. "We did. I still can't believe she's here."

"Yep better enjoy it while it lasts. I'm going to spare you the lecture since I already did on the plane, but remember everyone else gets here around noon, and then it's work time."

"Yeah I know." Jonah was going to insert that he was able to handle both work and spending time with Sinead but the waiter approached to take his food order, and then they were joined by some of his stage crew, which included his makeup team, lighting team, and other odds and ends.

He tried not to wince. He had sort of forgotten that they flew in last night too and couldn't know about his relationship. It was a good thing it had been Amy in the hallway last night and not one of them. As soon as Sinead had disappeared inside the room he had turned and saw Amy standing there, smirking at him. He had almost blushed he was so caught off-guard but managed to smile at her like he had no idea what her look was for.

 _You've gotta be more careful,_ he told himself sternly.

While it was a pain to hide it and sneak around, Jonah also knew what the media finding out could do to a relationship, especially since he was known so world-wide. His fans were _extremely_ crazy and could get kinda mean if they got jealous, and Sinead was just getting comfortable with the idea of being in a relationship. But today, it was annoying that everyone didn't know. Normally, a private room would mean that he could at least hold Sinead's hand, the person who was at the moment entering the room, looking very pretty and very kissable.

Her hair was pulled into a messy side braid, she still had that sleepy look on her face, and although her clothes were just jeans and a regular shirt, they hugged her body. She looked both innocent and sexy, and, catching her gaze and realizing that he was staring he quickly moved his eyes over and saw that Amy was walking in behind her.

There weren't any seats left at their table but Broderick waved them over, introduced them to the crew that was there and then asked where Dan was.

"It's no big deal or anything but I don't want him wandering off and getting lost." His dad appeared calm but Jonah could almost hear his thoughts - ' _Like during the Clue Hunt.'_

"He's coming down," Amy explained. "We checked on him before we came down here and he was almost ready."

"Okay, cool. Well I was going to let you know that you are free to roam today, but let me know so I can send someone with you. I know most of you are adults and responsible but I'm also liable for you and the media probably already has pictures of you from the airport in LAX."

"We understand," Sinead said, a resigned look on her face. "Maybe the four of us cousins can hang out this morning?" She directed this last bit at Jonah in a casual tone, and he nodded, hoping his face looked the same.

"Sure, I gotta be back by noon when my dance crew gets here but that gives us a couple of hours."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Amy shrugged. "There's a really cool museum down the street and I think a park and mall just a couple more blocks down."

Dan entered as his sister was talking and made a face. "I'm not going to a museum, unless it's about Korean martial arts or something."

"This is my annoying little brother," explained Amy, turning to everyone while Dan's scowl deepened.

"Her _way_ cooler brother," he stated as everyone laughed.

After pleasantries were exchanged, Amy, Dan, and Sinead sat down at a table a couple of yards away. Jonah went over and joined them as soon as he was done with his plate. "So what's the plan?"

"I say the mall. Or anything that's not a museum," Dan said, shooting his sister a look.

Jonah grinned at him. "Sure thing." He actually wanted to spend time with Sinead alone again, but figured that he could slide a few minutes with Dan in. "Um, maybe we can all hang for a bit then Sinead and I can wander off? Just for a few minutes."

Dan rolled his eyes. "Hey you're not hurting our feelings. I know who you're the most excited about hanging with, and it's not me and Amy."

Jonah winced and saw that Sinead looked a little guilty too. "I'm glad you guys are here too, ya know that."

"I know man but it's fine. You know I get it right? If Natalie was here I would ditch you all too."

Oh yeah. He actually _had_ forgotten that Dan would understand. His cousin - while still a bit immature - actually had his moments.

"Thanks guys," Sinead said, echoing Jonah's thoughts. "But we can figure it out as we go. Now let's hurry and finish eating."

That was his girlfriend - practical and straight to the point. He shot her a smile but she was already looking back down at her plate, shoveling food in like it was her last meal. He chuckled but stopped when she lifted her head to glare at him.

Trying to cover it up with a cough, he looked back over at the Cahill duo to see that they were hurrying too. It was only ten more minutes and then they were standing up to head out, letting his dad know where they were going and taking Chet with them.

"I don't get it; won't it make it more obvious with a bodyguard with us?" Dan asked as they walked through the lobby, but Amy was shaking her head.

"Dan, what would happen if we went without them and Jonah got noticed? And you know he will."

"Actually," Jonah allowed a smirk to take over his face as he pulled out some objects from his jacket pocket, "I got ways around the 'razzi."

"Glasses?" Dan sounded doubtful, but when Jonah put the nerdy glasses on and then the fake moustache, he looked impressed.

Sinead frowned at him though. "It still looks like you."

"That's cause you've made out with me before baby." He couldn't help the words from escaping, and even the glare she gave him in return was worth it.

"He has a point," Amy said dryly.

Jonah grinned over at her. "Thanks for the backup."

"I think it'll do," Dan declared, ignoring the comment that Jonah thought had been pretty genius.

Catching his girlfriend's annoyed expression, Jonah added, "I was just kidding Sinead."

"No you weren't," she said, but the look dropped from her face as she sighed and threw him an almost fond look. "But it's okay, that's just _you_ I suppose."

Jonah shrugged, not being able to deny it. Flirty comments just came naturally for him, but Sinead brought it out in him too. There was something about riling her up that thrilled him…

He threw a look behind him but he could barely see Chet. Breathing a quiet thanks that they didn't seem to be discovered - which was kinda strange since they were some of the only Americans in sight - he walked a little faster.

"What's the hurry?" Sinead asked him.

"I dunno. It's just weird that no one's recognized me. Or even you three for that matter."

Maybe they should have asked to be dropped off instead of walking, but it was too late for that now. Frowning, he glanced around again but besides a few stares no one really paid them any mind.

"Maybe your disguise is working," Amy commented, but followed Jonah's gaze.

Jonah shrugged, but didn't say anything else until Sinead directed her next sentence at him.

"Hey, did Fiske ever call you back?"

The quietly-spoken question threw him off, but he recovered swiftly. "Yes. He wants to talk to me in person."

After talking to Ian and Natalie back in August about how they managed to thwart their mother's plans to kick them out of the branch, Jonah had been trying to figure out how to do the same. The problem was, the Lucian branch was ran totally different than the Janus. While Ian had been able to go around his mother - especially with her being put in jail for some time - and appeal to the other bigwigs in the branch, there wasn't really anyone like that in the his branch.

 _That needs to change. It's not good for only the leader to have full power._

After talking to his dad and then Amy, he had decided to contact Fiske and see if he could help. His schedule was so busy though that it was impossible to meet up with him at this point.

Pulling his mind back to the present, Jonah noted that Sinead was frowning out into space. "It seems like there should be some sort of process for this kind of thing."

Jonah could only shrug once more. "In the past, if someone 'betrayed' the branch they got the boot. Technically, I haven't done anything though, so she probably couldn't. But if no one protested it…"

"The entire thing is ridiculous," Sinead argued, and he had to smile at the pissed-off look that crossed her face. "You're the only one that even participated in the Clue hunt. Everyone else just sat around on their duffs and stayed safe. If anyone should be _kept_ in the branch, it should be you. Besides, won't you take over some day?"

Jonah winced at her question. While the thought had crossed his mind in the past, he didn't even want to think of that now.

"There are people better qualified to lead it than me," he stated and then tried to maneuver the topic away. "Anyways, Fiske and I are supposed to meet after my tour is over, unless we happen to be in the same area at the same time in the next few weeks. But so far my"- he caught himself before the word _'mom'_ slipped out -"I mean, _she_ hasn't made any more moves besides that one threat."

Sinead pursed her lips and didn't say more, but Jonah had the feeling that she was thinking plenty.

Not wanting to talk about it anymore, and instead enjoy this week, he turned his attention to the area they were passing through.

It was a pretty city, one that he had been in only once before, but hadn't had time to explore. Buildings loomed all around, though they weren't in the metro, and brightly colored signs and ads made the city livelier than it already was.

Nothing else was said between the group, and soon they reached the mall, a huge, 5-story building surrounded by masses of people going in and out.

"Wow," Dan mumbled beside him, but he looked impressed. "There has to be more than clothing stores here. Super cool."

It _was_ cool, and it would probably be easier to blend in here, since it looked like they weren't the only American's here now.

They ducked into the first store they saw, some large department store with a variety of things. Amy and Sinead headed straight for the clothes, leaving the guys behind to stare around the store.

"Wanna check out the clothes or something?" Jonah asked, not really sure what to do. He didn't mind shopping but wanted to be near Sinead right now. Although he _did_ want to hang with Dan too.

 _I guess now is a good time to do that, while the girls are occupied._

Dan was frowning, looking around as he said, "Let's just walk around. Maybe they have some cool jackets here. I have to look extra cool since I'm hanging out with you this week."

Jonah waved his cousin's words off but agreed to help him pick out some stuff.

* * *

An hour later, they had all found the food on the third level. It hadn't taken long for Dan to start complaining about how he needed more sugar to combat the shopping, and Amy wanted to sit down.

"So do you wanna go off and shop?" Jonah asked Sinead, hoping that she would say yes.

"Of course. I need more clothes and stuff." Her tone was innocent but he caught the smirk pulling at her lips.

He gave her an impatient look. "Great, let's go."

Not waiting he turned and started to head blindly for the escalator, wondering what was on the top floor. Surely it would be quieter at least. When he got to the bottom of it he stopped and turned, waiting for Sinead who was making her way towards him, looking up as if to try to see what stores they had. She couldn't really be thinking about shopping could she? _His_ mind was on the kisses they had shared last night, and if they could find somewhere private enough…

"Geez I know we're trying to maximize our time together but you're really fast," his girlfriend complained as she joined him and they got on the escalator.

"Sorry," he said, but wasn't really. He looked at her fully now, studying her annoyed face and breathless state. "You look nice today."

"Oh, uh, thanks."

Grinning at her thrown-off look at his compliment, Jonah shifted and peeked down at Dan and Amy, who were already starting to get in line at what looked like a smoothie place.

Sinead followed his gaze and sighed. "Do you feel bad for ditching them? I do a little."

"Just a little," he admitted as they stepped off the escalator and got on another one.

"Where are we going?" Sinead asked him.

"To see what's on the top floor. And then try to find someplace a little quieter."

"Oh, okay."

But she frowned, which caused him to do so in return.

"Is that okay with you?" he asked her, not understanding the look on her face.

"Yeah, I was just thinking about your cover being blown or something. And about Chet who's following us right now."

Jonah had actually forgotten about Chet, and the realization of that fact surprised him. His bodyguard had followed him for the past five years. It was Sinead's presence that was throwing him off, he decided. He never thought as clearly around her.

Throwing the plan of another make out session away (for now) he shrugged. "I didn't say that I was planning to do anything that would blow our cover."

But the look that she gave him insinuated that she didn't believe him. Ignoring it, he scanned the floor they had just arrived at and his eyes caught something. Grinning, he tugged Sinead towards it. "Come on, this'll be fun."

* * *

Amy and Dan had just gotten in line for smoothies when her brother's eyes lit up. "Hey, are those some of Jonah's dancers? They look like it!"

Amy turned to see two guys and a girl enter the food court. The girl was beautiful, African-American with some serious curly hair going on. The guy right beside her was tall, tattooed all over, with rings all over his face. Amy thought that Dan was right because she remembered from the DWTS show one of Jonah's dancers having multiple piercings.

Then, the third guy stepped more clearly into her view, causing her to blink. Blonde haired, blue-eyed, and obviously muscular, he was easy on the eyes. She flinched as Dan called out, "Hey, over here!" and the guy looked over at them.

Flustered, she turned to Dan and hissed, "Can't you be a little more discreet than that?"

But he was ignoring her, already jogging out of line to meet the three that were now approaching them. Amy sighed as she joined him.

"Hey," Dan's voice was quieter, but she could tell that he was barely containing his excitement. "Do you guys know Jonah?"

"Do you?" the girl asked. While she said it friendly enough, her tone was guarded.

 _Yep. They definitely are. They must think we're fans or something._

"Yes we're his cousins and we flew in with him yesterday. I'm Amy and this is Dan, my brother," she said quickly.

At her words the girl's gaze softened. "Oh sorry. Broderick told us that some of Jonah's cousins would be on tour this week but you gotta be careful you know. We're some of Jonah's dancers."

"I knew it!" Dan said. "I recognized you guys right away."

Smiling, the blonde haired guy looked at him. "I'm Dominic. And this is Zane-" the other guy nodded at them, -"And Amber," he continued.

Greetings went around, then Amy spoke up. "Jonah's around here somewhere, and our other cousin Sinead. They wanted to shop some more."

Thinking of that now, she reached for her phone to text Sinead. _**Some of Jonah's dancers are here at the mall. Just warning you. Where are you guys at?**_

As she texted she could hear Amber say, "We can go find them if y'all want to get back in line. No biggie."

 _Do all of Jonah's friends talk so casually?_ she wondered, but replied, "No, it's okay. We'll go with you."

"Fine with me."

The smile in Dominic's voice caused her to look over at him. Sure enough, he was smiling at her, eyes lit up with _interest?_

 _I'm reading him wrong,_ she thought immediately and turned to Dan. "We can get a smoothie later."

Amy hoped that he wouldn't try to argue.

But she should have known better, Dan was already asking the dancers about some dance move he had seen them do the prior night. Shaking her head slightly at him, she trailed behind the group, glancing at her phone. No reply.

Maybe she could detour them back downstairs… but Dan was already saying. "I think they went up to the top story."

Exasperated, Amy tried to throw him a warning look but Amber had turned to ask her how she liked traveling with Jonah so she couldn't. Instead, she politely answered as she maneuvered her way up to Dan.

She only managed to get quick glance in before the others noticed but his eyes widened as he comprehended what finding Jonah and Sinead _might_ entail.

"You know what, it'll be easier if I just run ahead," Dan said, and at that, he sprinted to the next escalator, practically running up it as people on it shot him dirty looks.

The three dancers looked after Dan, then at Amy like she had an explanation. She shrugged weakly. "My brother is weird sometimes. I have no clue."

They grinned but it was Dominic who spoke up. "Hey it's okay, we won't judge you."

Then he winked at her, and again Amy wasn't sure how to take it. Instead she quickly looked down at her phone again, which was still quiet. _Come on Sinead, look at your phone and reply. I'm starting to freak out here._

"Anyways, back to your question. It's nice," she said, directing this at Amber. "I've traveled before with Dan all over but we've never been here. And I've never been on anything like a tour."

"It's a lot of fun," Amber agreed. "I've only been with Jonah for two years, but the celebrities I've worked with before definitely weren't as cool."

"Cool?" Zane snorted. "Well yeah but he's kinda a slave driver too."

"You're just lazy man," Dominic said, turning to Amy and adding, "I'm not though, always ready."

She refrained from a sarcastic retort at the bragging note in his voice, thinking that sarcasm was more Sinead's thing. Speaking of Sinead she spotted Dan right when they hit the top floor, outside of a _photo booth?_

 _I'm surprised they have those here._

As they reached them she spotted Sinead and Jonah standing right in front of it and it looked like Sinead was frantically stuffing something in her purse.

"Hey guys," Jonah said, spotting them.

He looked a little frazzled, so Amy quickly returned the greeting, talking as she led the group. "Hey, we ran into some of your, uh, 'peeps' downstairs."

"Yo dude, wassup?" Zane reached him next, exchanging a fist bump but Sinead could see that his eyes were on Sinead. So were Dominic's.

"So you've already met Dan and Amy. This is Sinead, my other cousin," Jonah said, but he still looked weird.

Amy shot him a frown; couldn't he act better than that? Thankfully, he caught her gaze and immediately schooled his features.

"Hey I'm Dominic, Jonah's very cool and very single friend," the blonde guy said, reaching out his hand to Sinead.

The 'are you kidding me' look Sinead gave him in return was hilarious, and right away Amber started laughing. "I think you've already struck out. Hi, I'm Amber, the one that keeps these three in line."

Sinead went from wrinkling her nose at Dominic to smirking at Amber. "Good, I don't know these two that well but Jonah definitely needs someone like that."

Jonah frowned over at his girlfriend, but Amy could see the fond look in his eyes _and_ hear it in his voice as he answered, "Whatever."

Inwardly she groaned. Their relationship status was going to be fun to try to cover up all week if he couldn't hide it better than this.

Dominic must have picked up on it, because he looked at Jonah quickly, "Sinead's your cousin too?"

At the question Amy saw both Jonah and Sinead flinch.

"Yes, unfortunately," Sinead replied, recovering fast and meeting Dominic's gaze. "We get to put up with his ego all of the time. Well, at least at family get-togethers."

"Wow, you haven't made a very good impression so far I see." Amber looked over at Jonah. "It's been what, two days without us here?"

She turned to Amy and Dan, then looked over at Sinead to include her. "We're going to have a blast this week now that I'm here. Ignore these guys. Have y'all gotten to see the venue yet?"

"No," Jonah answered for them. "My dad said that you all would get here at noon and then we would head that way. Why are you guys here so early anyways?"

There was a grumpy note in his tone, and his dancers looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Whoa someone didn't get enough sleep last night. Or needs to get some," Dominic muttered.

Jonah winced. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just need food or something."

"Or _something_ ," Amber huffed but didn't look offended. She looked at the girls. "If you've already ate we should go over to that store." She motioned towards a store whose name Amy didn't recognize. "I've been in one once and it had some amazing shoes."

"That sounds good," Amy said, thinking that splitting Jonah and Sinead up would probably be good, if they were really wanting to keep their relationship a secret and all. "Lead the way."

* * *

 **Okay so this chapter and the next are kind of fillers... I felt the need to introduce the new characters slowly and build up the plot sooooo just warning you all haha.**


	6. Chapter 6

**So this is the last of the forewarned 'filler' chapters. I promise the plot will pick up after this...plus there might be some surprises ;)**

* * *

While she hated having her time with Jonah cut short, Sinead had to admit that it had been a fun afternoon. She clicked with Amber immediately and it seemed like Amy did too. There was something about the girl that just was so down-to-earth. They had ended up meeting up with the guys only when it was time to leave the mall, but Sinead didn't mind too much. While Zane was cool she wasn't sure how to deal with Jonah's other dancer and how flirty he was.

 _It's annoying. Maybe I should just tell him I have a boyfriend and to back off. But he already seems a bit suspicious. Although that might be my guilty conscience talking..._

"Sinead!"

She looked up to see Amy gesturing at her, "Hey, the guys said we can go back to Jonah's dressing room to chill for a bit before the show."

After telling her cousin she would be right there, she turned to get her purse and looked around the empty venue again. It was _huge_ , which probably shouldn't surprise her. She knew how popular her boyfriend was world-wide. But still, she couldn't imagine that many people gathering in just a couple of hours.

Crossing the almost eerie room and joining the others in the back, she noted that Jonah's dressing room was really big too. It looked like quite a few of his dancers were there, sitting and drinking water and just talking. She had met all of them earlier, before they had started rehearsals and so far everyone had seemed cool. Dan had been in heaven watching the dance practices but Amy and Sinead had slipped out for a bit during them, Amy stating that she needed some air.

She thought that her friend was just overwhelmed, especially with the way Dominic was acting around her. Since rebuffed by Sinead twice (once at the mall, once when they first got to the venue) he hadn't really flirted with her anymore but with Amy he had—though it was mild and some of the things he said were kind of sweet. Like when Jonah told them all how smart Amy was when it came to books and knowledge, the dancer had actually given her a sincere compliment, causing Amy to stammer, something Sinead hadn't heard her do for a while.

"Sinead, get your butt over here. Amy, you too."

The redhead looked back over to see Amber waving at them, sitting on the floor by a couple of girls.

Smiling, she walked over, trying to appear comfortable. While she liked meeting people she also wanted to be sure to make a good impression. Was it weird to want Jonah's friends and crew to like her? Because that's the feeling she had right now, like she was selling herself or something.

As Sinead sat down one of the girls she had met earlier named Elise leaned over. "I really love your hair. Is that its natural color?"

Immediately relaxing she looked over at her. "Yes. I've thought about dying it but have never been able to bring myself too."

"You definitely shouldn't," Amber spoke up. "I'm so jealous of it."

Sinead ran her fingers through her hair as she scoffed. " _Your_ hair is beautiful," she said. Turning back to Elise she added, "And I love your pixie cut. I wish I could pull off something like that."

Elise grinned at her. "Hey, I have to blend in with the rest of Jonah's dancers. Plus I get bored easily with my hair and have to change it."

"Yeah, you should have seen her last year," a girl named Talisa rolled her eyes.

Sinead liked Talisa enough but she was a little intimidating with sharp eyes and an even sharper tongue. She was gorgeous too, in a more obvious way than the other girls and Sinead wondered briefly if good looks were a requirement with this job.

 _Maybe if Jonah picked them out-_ but she stopped her thoughts, not wanting to go there.

"Uh-oh," Amy teased. "I'm scared to know what last year was. But I do have a friend who is like my big sister who has three colors in her hair right now."

At that statement the girls demanded pictures, and all gushed over Nellie's unique look right away. As Amy went on explaining the how her personality fit the hair, the girls in the group nodded.

"Oh, too bad she couldn't have come too, she would fit right in here," Talisa said. "We get a little crazy sometimes, though we have to be careful with the drinking and stuff."

She didn't explain but Sinead saw Amber and Elise throw her a sharp look and probably thought she was referring to Jonah. Then fourth girl and the final female of Jonah's dancers walked over.

"Hi, I didn't get to meet you all earlier. I'm Cassie." She was brunette and the most 'normal' looking one of the group, although she was still pretty.

Sinead greeted her and then noticed the absence of Jonah and Dominic. The rest of the crew was here though. Not wanting to seem overly nosy she didn't ask but suddenly missed her boyfriend. And not just his presence either; she felt like she would be more at ease with him at least in the room.

It was then that Dan bounded over, breaking up her thoughts. "Yo, what's happenin'?" he asked, doing a bad imitation of a gangster accent.

To Sinead's surprise, the girl's all grinned at him, Elise answering, "Nothin' much bruh."

Then to Amy she said, "Your brother is seriously adorable."

"Adorable?" The look Dan gave the dancer in return was offended. "I'm cool, not adorable. Anyways, where's Jonah?"

Elise shrugged in return. "I don't know. Probably stuck somewhere listening to Eric yammering. That guy ticks me off."

"Yeah, he's good and stuff but really annoying," Talisa said, unwrapping a granola bar and taking a bite.

"We've met him," Sinead announced dryly, thinking of her first time interacting with Eric, which had ended with her and Jonah both almost decking him. "I wanted to smack him too."

She saw Amy shoot her a warning look, but she ignored her, not planning to give any details that would give her away. For her cousin's sake she added, "I think everyone did though, the guy seems to bring that out in people."

Amber laughed. "Yeah I could see you putting him in his place girl. Say, do you dance?"

"Uh, no." Taken aback by the question, Sinead just frowned at her.

Amber grinned in return, "Just wondering. You would be fun to tour full-time with. Actually," she gestured to Dan and Amy. "All of you would."

There was no time to reply, at that time Jonah came in, looking really irritated and followed closely by Dominic. His face lit up though when he saw all of them gathered. "Hey guys what's up?"

"Uh-oh, that looked like the 'Eric' face," Amber commented in a teasing voice, but Jonah just snorted.

"Yeah but it's no biggie. Can't let 'em get to me."

Sinead was surprised when he sat down between her and Elise, but then figured maybe she shouldn't be. It _was_ the only space left that made sense. Besides, it wasn't like she minded the close proximity. In fact, if she shifted just a couple more inches...

"Hey, I wanna sit by Sinead!" Dominic protested, interrupting her plotting.

"No. And quit trying to flirt with my cousins," Jonah replied, but he shot his friend a grin. "Hey while you're up toss me a soda."

He turned back to the circle, addressing his cousins. "If they haven't already told you, help yourself to anything in the fridge. There's always plenty of stuff."

"Cool." Dan's gaze lit up as he went to check it out.

"So anyways," Dominic addressed this to Jonah, walking back over and handing him his drink, "I can't believe you didn't hit on her. She was _hot._ "

 _What?_ Sinead thought, her heart starting to flutter. The only reaction she allowed herself to have was to glance at Jonah, but everyone else was doing it too, except for Talisa, who was giving Dominic a hard look.

"Um, we are not talking about this subject," Talisa said, her nose wrinkled.

But the blonde-haired dancer smirked at her and plopped down behind her.

"Go to your own dressing room." His tone was joking, but Sinead wasn't really paying attention, holding in her breath and wondering how Jonah would respond. She wasn't sure what exactly they were talking about, but obviously there was an attractive female involved. And although she knew deep down that he wouldn't _cheat_ on her, she still wondered at times how he acted around other girls when she wasn't around.

Her boyfriend was frowning at his drink, but looked up at his friend with an easy smile. "You clearly were into her. I was tryin' to let ya make your move."

"Usually you don't care." Dominic met his gaze, curiosity in his eyes. "Bro, you've been acting weird for months."

"Maybe you should be taking notes," Amber inserted, rolling her eyes at Dominic. "Back off, you know how busy he's been. _Some_ of us have other priorities.

"Yeah dude, I'm just enjoying the single life." Jonah stretched back on his hands and yawned. "Plus Amber's right, this tour and coming out with a new record's been killing me."

Amy, who hadn't really said much, spoke up, giving Jonah a sympathetic look. "I'm sure it is. You're busier than most people I know."

Then, to Sinead's astonishment, her normally mild cousin shot Dominic an annoyed look, adding, "Anyways, what's wrong with _not_ hitting on every female in sight?"

"Oooh, burn," Talisa said with a laugh that almost sounded like a choke.

Dominic's eyebrows rose as he looked over at Amy. But instead of a smart remark, his face turned serious. "Nothing. Obviously the idea of me flirting with other females upsets you so I'm sorry."

"What?" Now Amy looked stunned. "I'm not upset! I was just saying that for Jonah's sake."

"Whatever you say."

But Dominic didn't look convinced. Instead, he looked at his phone. "So we got an hour or so to chill. We should jam or something."

"Or not," Zane finally spoke up from the other corner, where he and the remaining dancers were sitting in front of the T.V.

They started arguing about what to do, but Sinead was still thinking of what Dominic had said about Jonah acting different. She couldn't do what she felt like doing of course, but his words, ' _bro, you've been acting weird for months',_ made her want to throw her arms around her boyfriend and kiss him. Because what Dominic was pretty much saying was that Jonah hadn't hit on any girls since he had been dating her.

 _In a minute, surely we'll get some alone time in a minute._

* * *

Only the 'alone time' didn't happen.

Everyone hung out for a little bit longer just chatting, and then the girls had to leave and get ready.

"It takes us a bit longer in the makeup and hair department than these guys so we probably won't see you until after the show." Amber explained, but the guys got up too, saying that they might as well get it over with.

Sinead looked at Amy, not really sure what to do.

"Hey you guys can just hang here." Jonah said as he turned to leave, Dan trailing him. "I'll come back to tell ya where to sit."

So that's what Amy and Sinead did, not really wanting to get in the way of anything, basking in the quietness of the room once everyone left. Apparently, Jonah's dressing room was actually just like a private waiting room, his makeup and clothing being in a larger room shared with everyone else.

Sinead wasn't really into stuff like that, but had to admit to herself that she was impressed with how Jonah's crew worked. Everything was organized instead of chaotic from what she had seen so far, although it took a lot more people than she had thought to run a tour.

True to his word, Jonah returned after only a few minutes, followed by Dominic and Dan.

"You two are so boring," Dan stated, sitting down beside his sister on the couch. "That just now was super fun."

"You're saying that 'cause you weren't the one getting makeup put on your face," Dominic said with an eye roll, but a smile was on his face. "Isn't it cool though? I love the adrenaline rush right before a show."

Sinead noted that while Jonah smiled at her when he walked in, he was now walking to the fridge. He didn't open it though, just started at it and then walked back over to them. And then he started scratching his head, walking back over to the area of the fridge.

She was a little puzzled, but no one seemed to be paying him any attention. Dominic had started to explain to the three tour guests the different things that they could expect tonight. "I hope that you girls are ready for this. It will be hard to sit and lounge with the line-up we have tonight. But that's all I'm gonna say." He winked at the last part, and Sinead couldn't help but smile at him.

"I'm looking forward to it," she said honestly. "I've never been to any of Jonah's concerts. I'm not really into hip-hop but something about seeing stuff live tends to make me change my mind."

She looked over at Jonah when she said this, not being able to hold back her proud grin in his direction. Besides, she was pretty sure that if Dominic noticed her expression he would write it off as excitement.

Jonah wasn't pacing anymore, but he was shifting his feet back and forth, almost like he was anxious and he was biting his lip as he frowned at the wall.

Sinead frowned too, not knowing if he had heard her or not and turned back to Dominic, but the dancer was throwing his friend a funny look. "Bro, are you nervous or something?"

"Of course I'm not," the celebrity scoffed, snapping his head up in Dominic's direction at the question. "I've done this a million times."

"Okay whatever. But can you please stop?" He gestured towards Jonah's feet. "You're starting to give me anxiety."

"Oh. Sorry," Jonah said, running his hands over his hair. "Ya know what, I'll just go ahead and start warming up. See you all later."

He left abruptly, and Dominic turned to the Cahills. "Dunno what his deal is. Anyways, are you ready for the show? It's so much cooler sitting in the VIP section!"

"Oh yeah!" Dan answered. "Do we get unlimited snacks and reclined seats? Not that I'll be sitting down much…"

Amy rolled her eyes. "Wow Dan, is it always about food with you?"

"Mostly."

Sinead grinned affectionately at the younger boy. "We could raid Jonah's dressing room. I guarantee you there are plenty of snacks hidden there."

"He's pretty good at hiding stuff," Dominic said confidently. "Good luck with that."

The cousins exchanged a look, all thinking the same thing.

 _If only he knew about the Clue hunt, and how it turned all of us into pros when it comes to finding things that are supposed to be a secret._

"Well _we're_ pretty good at finding things," Amy said with a light laugh. "But we could just go buy our own stuff."

Dominic shot her a grin in reply. "I have my own stash that I would be happy to share with you Amy. I mean"—he cleared his throat—"with all of you."

 _Sure you meant all of us,_ Sinead thought wryly, but didn't voice this. Instead, her thoughts went back to Jonah's behavior. She wondered if he _was_ nervous. It couldn't be because of her could it?

 _That's ridiculous Sinead. He's a professional at this. He's a Janus that eats, sleeps, and breathes music. And you're not anyone who can judge stuff like that._

Still the thought nagged at her, until she wondered if she should go and try to find him or something. But Dominic took that idea away when he glanced at his phone.

"Oops, they'll be hunting me down if I don't get backstage soon. Show starts in twenty minutes and we always do warm-ups. Jonah's a stickler for them."

He got up and reached in his back pocket, pulling out a piece of paper and handing it to Dan. "Here's a map of the venue. The reserved section is circled; one of the crew members should be there to let you in."

"Sweet," Dan replied, taking it from him and peering at the circle.

Dominic jogged towards the door but called out over his shoulder, "Oh, and snacks are in the blue and green bag in the makeup room. Help yourself."

"He's my favorite of Jonah's dancers," Dan decided once the blonde-haired guy exited. "Totally cool."

"Yeah he's really nice when he wants to be." Amy's tone was soft, and Sinead shot her a glance. But her cousin's expression didn't give anything away, and Sinead decided not to push it.

She didn't say anything else until they had picked up some snacks for Dan and made their way to the VIP section. This was actually just a private balcony with the fan VIP section right below them, and Sinead was glad to see that they had it all to themselves.

"I wonder who else would normally sit here," Dan mused. "Other celebrities?"

"Probably," his sister agreed. "And maybe the family members of whoever's performing when they visit."

 _Family members._

Sinead felt a wave of sympathy for her boyfriend. Whenever that word went through her mind she couldn't help but think of Cora. She wondered if she had even been at any of Jonah's shows or performances in the past couple of years. Probably not (due to everything that had happened), but still, it was her _child_.

 _I don't get it. How can she not be proud of him? I know I wasn't impressed at first, but that's because I didn't know him, or give him a chance really._

"Earth to Sinead," Dan's voice broke through her thoughts, but it took her a second to reply.

"Sorry, what?" Now that she focused she could see his hand waving in front of her face. Annoyed, she swatted it away. "Stop it."

"Man you were really spaced out." Dan leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms behind his head.

Shrugging, and not wanting to share her thoughts, she asked the question that was still bothering her. "Do you think Jonah's nervous because we're here?"

Amy looked at her out of the corner of her eye. "I think he's nervous because _you're_ here."

"Yeah, when I was on tour with him during the clue hunt he was fine. No nerves at all," Dan said.

"The only time I've seen him nervous to perform was at the talent show when he played that classical piece for us," Amy added.

Sinead furrowed her brows. "Yeah I guess so. I just don't know why he would be. It's just me, and I've seen his performances on T.V. and YouTube before."

"It's not the same as being here in person," Amy pointed out. "It is kind of weird though. He's always so confident."

"Don't forget arrogant, conceited, egotistical..." Sinead trailed, rolling her eyes, but then she let her face soften. "No, I'm being too harsh. He's amazing. And has a right to be a little conceited when it comes to his skills I guess."

Dan shot her a look. "It's a little strange to hear you talk about him like that."

"I've said stuff like that to him plenty of times. Just not in front of everyone else," she admitted, looking straight ahead to the stage. "Anyways I'm excited to see him live too. I'm not crazy about rap still but there's something about live music that makes it better."

"He doesn't just rap anymore," Dan reminded her. "But yeah I saw his song set before the show and there's a couple in there like that."

"You saw his song list?" Amy asked. "How do you always know these things?"

Dan grinned. "I'm nosy. And I think the tour stuff is so cool. If _you_ weren't so busy flirting with Dominic and sitting around you could find stuff out like that too."

"I was not flirting with Dominic!" Amy's voice rose, causing her brother to just shake his head.

"Whatever you say sis."

"I wasn't." Her voice was final, and no one commented further, settling in for the concert.

* * *

Jonah really knew how to put on a show.

Amy, like Sinead, wasn't into Jonah's genre of music. But the energy he had on the stage was contagious, and it wasn't long before she was on her feet with her brother and Sinead, dancing along to the music.

Most of his songs were about love or sex, and she wondered briefly if it was awkward for Sinead to hear them. With the exception of the one that had lyrics in it for her, the rest were all written before he had started dating her. But the couple of times Amy glanced over at Sinead, the other girl didn't seem affected so she didn't say anything.

"Sinead, you would have a lot more fun if you were dancing too," Dan informed her.

"I am dancing! A little anyways."

He scoffed. "Moving your feet back and forth every twenty seconds doesn't count."

Sinead just rolled her eyes and went back to studying the stage.

Amy wondered again what was going through her mind, but then brushed it off. She had her own stuff to worry about.

And by 'stuff' she meant a certain dancer on this tour.

She tried not to let Dominic's flirtatious manner bother her. I mean, it was obvious that he was like that with everyone. He probably would hit on Sinead more too if the other girl hadn't of already shot him down like she had. Amy tried to follow her lead, but found that it was hard for her to be as sharp as Sinead about it, so she just tried to ignore him.

She forced her mind back to the show and just in time too. It looked like a dance-off was going on now between Jonah and his dancers. Even though it was probably staged, Amy found herself laughing at the smack talk going down, as well as the extreme dance moves.

"Wow this is so awesome!" Dan was practically shouting.

"I want the girls to win," Sinead stated. "The guys are really mouthing off."

"Shouldn't you be rooting for your boyfriend?" he shot back, but then rolled his eyes. "What am I saying? Of course you wouldn't be."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Guys," Amy inserted, not wanting to hear it. "Let's just enjoy the show, we're missing the good part."

The other two looked back to see _all_ of the dancers dancing together, and then the finale, which involved Jonah disappearing up in the air on some wiring harness. Of course, he did flips and stuff the whole way out.

"So flashy…" Sinead murmured, but again the redhead didn't look annoyed but apathetic.

Even with the show ended, the fans milled around, not seeming to be in a hurry to leave the venue.

"I guess we just wait here?" Dan asked, furrowing his brow.

As if on cue, the door to the balcony opened and Broderick's head popped in. "Come on you guys, we'll get you backstage."

Between Jonah's dad and a security guard, they managed to get backstage without any issues. Amy was relieved, but tried not to show it.

 _I'll have to get used to it if I want to survive this week. Anyways, instead of worrying I need to just enjoy my time off, away from everything._

—

Jonah didn't think he had ever felt this pumped up before. Yeah, he always got an adrenaline rush right before and after a show, but this was different. Sinead was here.

And though he was a little nervous before the concert, it had all faded away once he hit the stage. Turning his focus on the fans, he channeled all of his nerves into energy and tried to put on the performance of his life. At the back of his mind he was aware that _she_ was in the audience, but he tried not to think of it. Instead, he sang every appropriate lyric to her, but pretended that she was far away in Boston, just like he normally did. And it had worked.

Now though, all he wanted was to see her and to try to gauge her reaction to it all. He hoped that she liked it, at least a little anyways.

As if on-cue, his dad rounded the corner, followed by Sinead, Dan, and Amy, who all grinned once they caught sight of him and his dancers.

"So, what did you all think?" Dominic asked once they were in hearing distance.

His dad waved to them but held back, talking to the security but the three in question came right up to them.

"It was totally awesome! The dance-off was my favorite part!" Dan exclaimed, his eyes bright.

Amy and Sinead both smiled at him as Amy agreed, "Yeah that part was my favorite too."

Sinead was quiet for a second, but must have noticed everyone's expectant gazes in her direction.

"Oh, you guys are waiting to hear my favorite part?" she asked.

"Well, yeah," Dominic pipped in before Jonah could. "Let's have it. It was me right?"

He threw her a wink but Sinead didn't even glance his way, an analytical expression on her face. "I liked all of it. And the dance-off was pretty cool."

Jonah felt a little disappointed over her calm reaction, but then caught himself.

 _What do you expect her to do, come up and kiss you or something? Ya know she can't act like that in front of everyone. Besides, she's not the gushing type._

So instead he just flashed all three of his cousins another grin and stated, "The dance-off part is our favorite part too. I'm glad you guys liked it."

Then he turned towards the exit. "I'm so ready for a shower though. Everyone ready to head out?"

At their nods he motioned for his bodyguards and the security, who all rushed over to guide them out the door. It wasn't like there would be mobs, but sometimes you never knew about his fans.

 _They're crazy yo. Like sometimes they even scare me with how sneaky they are._

It wasn't until they were all settled in the limo and almost back to the hotel that Jonah thought to check his cell phone. Heart picking up at the _'3 text messages: Sinead'_ on the front screen _,_ he made sure that no one was close enough to read over his shoulder and then opened them.

 _ **I'm impressed. I mean, it was flashy but….**_

 _ **You did a good job. The singing, choreography, etc. was perfect. I liked how you include the fans too throughout the show.**_

 _ **And my favorite part….had to be you singing that verse you wrote for me ;)**_

He tried not to react as he re-read them a few times but Amber leaned over and said in a teasing tone, "Already reading raves on Twitter huh?"

"What?" he asked, caught off guard, quickly hitting his 'lock screen' button on his cell phone

"Your face. You look really happy, like you do after you find out you've won an award or get a good album review."

Everyone's gazes were on him now, including Sinead's, so Jonah just shrugged.

"Oh yeah, just reading some comments about the show tonight. It was pretty legit I guess."

"Wow, must have been from a hot girl or something," Dominic said lazily and then yawned. "Man I'm beat."

He glanced around the limo, eyes resting on Amy and Sinead. "Sometimes we all hang out late after shows. I dunno about tonight though. Sometimes Broderick gets pretty strict on us sleeping."

 _We already know all about that,_ Jonah thought, but was glad that his dancer had changed the subject. It was already hard enough to hide his attraction to Sinead without additional comments. And he had this feeling that Dominic was starting to get suspicious.

As the rest of the group started discussing past curfews and the consequences of breaking them, Jonah picked up his phone again.

Quickly, he typed up a message and sent it, then relaxed up against the cushioned seat of the limo. Playing it off like he was dozing, he replayed her words in his head.

 _The next time we get a second alone, I'm thanking her properly._

* * *

 **:D**

 **Hopefully this was realistic...I'm not at all sure what goes on behind the scenes before/after/during concerts and tours, so yeah….I could be way off lol**


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter is pretty long..actually, the next few might be. But there's a lot to cover ;)**

 **Oh, and the song referenced in here is the cover version of 'Come & Get It' by Josh Levi. I actually heard it about six months ago and wrote the scene as a stand-alone piece but it just happened to fit here. Besides, who doesn't like a 'Jonah serenade'? ;)**

 **Enjoy!**

—

 _ **You have no idea what your words mean to me :) Thank u babe**_

Sinead read the text message again, smiling softly as she remembered the look on Jonah's face in the limo the prior night.

 _I can't believe words have that much power over him. He lit up and it was nice to see him like that._

"Come on Sinead, I think everyone is waiting for us!" Amy's slightly irritated voice came from the doorway of their suite.

"Go ahead and tell them I'll be down in a couple of minutes," she replied, feeling a little silly for sitting here obsessing over one line from Jonah when she should be finishing packing.

Their flight would be leaving in a couple of hours, but they needed to get there early, according to Broderick.

 _I don't know why, I'm sure our group will get priority._

But still, she supposed that it was better to be safe than sorry. Quickly throwing the remainder of her items in her suitcase and zipping it up, she headed for the door where the bellhop was waiting.

Once she handed over her bags she rushed to the elevator, hoping she wasn't the only one late. But her mind couldn't help but wander back to Jonah's text. It had put her in such a good mood. Really, the _week_ here had put her in a good mood. It was nice to not have to worry about school and instead just get to spend time with Jonah.

 _He's turning you into a sap,_ she tried to lecture herself, but she was in too good of spirits to really care.

"Bout time," Amber said once she reached the lobby.

The girl's tone was teasing but Sinead still grimaced. "Sorry, normally I'm never late."

"Hey it's okay, we're still waiting on Jonah and Jeremy, one of the staging members. Oh, wait, there he is."

Sinead turned, but she had been referring to Jeremy, not Jonah.

Throwing Amber a smile, she said, "Somehow I've pictured Jonah as someone who always runs late."

"Oh yeah, he's pretty bad."

"I know you guys aren't talking about me," Dominic said jokingly, coming up behind Amber.

Both girls rolled their eyes, but didn't have to reply because now a few others had joined them.

Everyone started talking about Manila, but Sinead stayed quiet, soaking it all in. In only minutes a familiar voice said, "Good morning!"

They turned to see Jonah standing there, all smiles. Sinead smiled back, not thinking anything of it, but the others were exchanging bemused looks.

"Why so happy?" Zane asked him. "It's before ten you know."

Jonah shrugged, looking towards the front door of the lobby, a relaxed smile still on his face. "Can't I be happy? It's a beautiful morning."

"Uh, you hate all mornings, but especially ones after a show and staying out late," Talisa put in, staring at him like he had just announced that he turned into a Bieber super-fan. "What's wrong with you?"

"I told you guys he's been acting funny," Dominic added, but just shook his head. "Ah, let the dude be happy. It means easier rehearsals for the rest of us."

"Whatever." Jonah rolled his eyes at his dancers but didn't seem to be bothered by their comments.

Sinead felt him glance at her but she turned her gaze on a plant by the front desk, trying to appear casual and unaffected.

"Well, let's go everyone," Broderick boomed from over by the door. "Luggage is loaded and the cars are here."

They all trailed out the door at that, and Sinead finally chanced a peek at Jonah. He wasn't looking at her, now focused on the door, but a small smile was still on his face. Her heart fluttered, was it because of her that he was so happy? And over what she had said in her text, or simply that she was here?

 _It's nice to think that he might be just as affected as I am. Gah is this what a relationship does to people? A real relationship with real feelings?_

She supposed so. And, just like she had told herself in Bora Bora when she started to over-analyze stuff, she made herself relax and just go with it for now.

—

It was almost ten that night when everyone finally gathered in Dominic's room. The five-hour flight (scheduled to leave Seoul at 12:30) had been delayed for three hours. Then the traffic had been horrible on the way to the hotel. But once they had arrived, Broderick told everyone that he was ordering food and that everyone could just spend the evening relaxing or exploring.

After some debate they had decided to eat in Dominic's room, since he had the video games and told them that his room was actually cooler than Jonah's this time. Sinead doubted it, but she and Amy agreed to meet everyone in there after freshening up.

Again, Sinead reflected as they ate and hung out, Jonah's dancers were really cool. And really fun and easy to talk to. Normally she wasn't one to stay out super late, but she didn't mind it tonight. Even though it was hard to be around Jonah without revealing their relationship, it was nice to be in close proximity of him.

"Okay, it's time for some music," Jonah stated after a while, reaching behind him and pulling out a guitar that Sinead hadn't even noticed laying there.

One of the other male dancers pulled out another guitar and they started fooling around, doing different covers of songs. They didn't do any of Jonah's, which surprised Sinead at first—given Jonah's ego—but she supposed it made sense. They did his songs constantly while on tour.

Jonah went from playing a rap song by Drake to one that Dominic deemed 'girly' and the guys started making fun of him, but Jonah went on anyways.

"I don't really care what you all think, ya know," he said, but his tone was teasing.

Sinead actually knew the song and had to laugh at the lyrics, though on the inside her heart was drumming. It was called 'Come & Get It' by a popular female celebrity, and she couldn't help but wonder if Jonah was singing the lyrics to her. She tried to tell herself it was stupid, he wasn't even looking at her, but still…

"Hearing you sing that is so ironic," Zane said with an eye roll, once Jonah had finished.

"Why is that?" Amy spoke up, looking curiously over at Jonah's most interesting dancer, who had changed into a button-up shirt and sweatpants. An odd combination, Sinead couldn't help but think as she took the ensemble in.

Amber laughed, coming over to the circle and sitting between Sinead and Dan. "You guys must not know much about your cousin's love life."

"Yeah, he doesn't have to wait _or_ be patient. All he has to do is snap his fingers-"

"Guys. Stop." Jonah's expression was uneasy, and he flicked his eyes over in Sinead's direction and then back at Zane. "You're exaggerating."

"We're not," Dominic pipped up, leaning back on the couch and closing his eyes. "You shoulda seen him a couple of years ago-"

Jonah cut him off again. "I'm not that bad anymore. Anyways, _I'm_ not the one that's dubbed the playa' of the group."

Dominic only grinned. "Yeah, it's not a bad title sometimes."

Amy shot him a disgusted look but didn't say anything. Sinead winced, thinking of how this conversation could go.

"Any other song requests?" Jonah asked, and titles started flying around the room.

Relieved for the topic change Sinead threw one out there. "Do you know the song Viva La Vida by Coldplay?"

Jonah looked up at her. "Yeah I love that song."

"But can you play it?" she prodded, causing him to shoot her an arrogant look.

"I can play anything."

She raised an eyebrow and snorted. "Let's hear it then Wizard."

At the challenge in her voice the others hooted. "Dang Jonah, someone doesn't sound like she believes you."

That came from Elise and Jonah's eyes flashed in return. Sinead would _never_ admit it to Jonah, but when he got that intense look on his face it was kinda a turn-on—even if it _was_ mixed with a bit of arrogance.

She hid her reaction by scooting back to lean against the chair Elise was sitting in and gave Jonah her best 'impress me' look.

"Guess I'll just hafta prove it then."

At that, Jonah started playing and singing again, but this time it was obvious that he was showing off, throwing complicated riffs in there even while he was singing like there was no tomorrow, doing crazy vocal runs. He made it sound effortless, but Sinead could tell that he was really focusing.

When he was done the room burst into applause and laughter, turning to Sinead.

"Well, did he pass?" Dominic asked. "You still don't look impressed."

Sinead glanced at Jonah's friend and then back at Jonah, finally allowing a small smile to pop up on her face. "It was good."

"Good?" Jonah looked insulted. "That's all?"

"Well _I'm_ impressed, not that it matters," Dan stated. "I wanna learn how to play guitar!"

"It's easy dude." Jonah turned his attention to his young cousin. "And of course your opinion matters. It's the general one anyways."

"Too much ego for this small room," Amber said sarcastically, beating Sinead to the punch.

But that was probably good. Since they had started dating, most of Jonah and Sinead's fights turned into playful, almost-flirting arguments that would be looked on with suspicion in this group. So she held her tongue, picked up her phone and checked Facebook, wondering what everyone was up to back home. Since the reunion in August she had tried to use social media to keep up with her cousins, since she was normally too busy to make phone calls.

She was just looking at Reagan's page to see if she won her latest kickboxing competition when a text from Jonah came through.

 _ **u alright?**_ it read, and she thought for a second then replied.

 _ **Yeah, just trying not to be too obvious. I may have already gone too far.**_

 _ **nah i think we're fine. btw you look good in that color**_

It took her aback at first; she wasn't used to guys noticing that stuff. But then she remembered that her boyfriend was a celebrity and probably knew way too much about clothing and image.

 _ **Thanks. And you did an AMAZING job on that song,**_ she messaged back, but added, _**Don't let it go to your head.**_

As soon as she hit send, she looked up and saw Dominic's gaze on her. At her 'what?' look he grinned and said, "Hey I'm just admiring your restraint."

"My 'restraint'? What are you talking about?"

Proud at how calm her voice was, Sinead shifted against the chair and kept her gaze on him.

"Oh by not adding to what Amber and the other girls are saying. I notice that you and Jonah seem to clash a bit."

She shrugged, hoping she still appeared casual. "Hey lots of family members do. And I can't help but be sarcastic. The more you hang around me the more mean I'm probably going to seem, so get used to it."

"You can be mean to me."

Dominic's tone was flirty, but Zane put in. "You don't wanna go there Sinead."

One of the other dancers who Sinead didn't know that well added. "Yeah and that's Jonah's cousin. You had better be careful."

More laughter sounded before the topic changed to dancing, the group promising to show Dan some moves the next day.

"Monday was kind of a rehearsal day, but tomorrow should be better. You can even join us in our warm-ups before the show," Amber said, but looked at Jonah as if to get his approval.

"Oh yeah, definitely," Jonah agreed easily, putting aside the guitar and lying down on the floor with his arms crossed behind his head.

 _He looks really huggable right now._ Sinead almost started at the thought that flew threw her brain as she watched him close his eyes and yawn. _It's just because of the sweats he's wearing. They look comfortable. And the sleepy look on his face. And the way his necklace is resting on his skin. Why am I such a sucker for jewelry when he wears it? Normally I don't like it on guys-_

An elbow from Amy brought her back to planet earth.

"What?" she asked, turning to her as she rubbed her side.

"You were zoning," Amy said lightly, but Sinead could see the warning glint in her eye. "Is it time for bed?"

"It's only…uh," she blinked at her phone. "2am?!"

"Time flies when you're havin' fun." Jonah's voice sounded muffled, and she looked back to see that he had turned on his side, his face now buried in a pillow.

"Okay yeah it's definitely time for bed," Amy stated. "Only I really don't want to move right now."

"You can always stay here baby girl. I don't mind." Dominic smirked at her.

"Um," Dan frowned at him, "That had better be a joke."

"Of course it was Dan," Amy said quickly, but Sinead could see a slight flush on her cheeks.

"Yeah, I was just kidding."

But Sinead saw Dominic's eyes study Amy for a second before he looked away.

"Well, let's go." Sinead stood and pulled at Amy's arm before anything else could be said.

—

Jonah tried not to watch them go. Lying down helped, as it was almost impossible to see the door from here. Still, it was so tempting to get up and follow her.

 _I can't even kiss her goodnight. That's so messed up. If I could think of a reason-_

"Hey Jonah, can I talk to you for a second?" Dan's voice floated to him, and Jonah perked up. Was he a mind-reader and trying to help him out?

"Sure dude. Uh, the hallway?"

Dan threw him a funny look, but nodded his agreement. Once they were in the hall though, the boy turned and said in a low voice, "So the Kabras might be showing up tomorrow sometime. I hope that's okay."

"What?"

He hadn't been expecting _that_.

"Natalie called me. Apparently she and Ian are in Australia and have a few days before they have to be back in England. It's okay right? I mean, they can probably get their own rooms if they need to and-"

Jonah cut him off, his brain catching up. "Oh it's definitely no prob," he assured him. He knew how much long-distance relationships sucked, and looking at Dan now, could sense the boy's excitement. "I can check with my dad and see if we can work something out where they can stay here. Are they traveling with us to Hong Kong?"

"Yep, Natalie said they can stay as long as we can."

Jonah nodded, but a thought hit him. "Why did you drag me out here? Or say something in front of the girls? I'm sure-"

But he stopped, suspicion hitting him. Then he shot Dan a wary glance, which was ignored.

"Thanks," Dan said. "Oh, and let's just keep this between you and me, alright?" Before Jonah could answer, Dan added, "You're the coolest cousin _ever_. Don't tell Sinead though."

Jonah grinned, the worried part of his mind easing. "Yo, thanks man. You're pretty cool too. And it's a deal."

 _I'm crazy for thinking that their visit could cause drama. It's only for a couple of days; what could go wrong?_

—

The first thing Jonah did when he woke up the next morning was look at the clock. Cursing at the late hour, he forced himself out of bed and quickly texted Sinead a **'** _ **good morning. whatcha up to**_ **,'** and waited anxiously for her response.

He was supposed to be meeting with his cousins and whoever else wanted to go shopping at eleven for brunch before they headed out. They had a few free hours before they had to be back for rehearsals and wanted to make the most of them. While Jonah wanted really bad to just stay here and hang with Sinead, he wasn't sure how to do it without looking suspicious. Besides, he never stayed in when they arrived at new cities, normally joining everyone in exploring—at least for the first few days anyways.

His phone lit up and he opened the message. It read: _**Good morning. Just getting ready, you?**_

 _ **almost ready can I come there to hang out for a while? I miss u.**_

He probably sounded really clingy and hoped that Sinead wouldn't be annoyed. But what he said was true, he missed her. While he had been around her constantly the last two days, it hadn't been alone so it really didn't count.

 _ **Yes. Amy's just getting up though. Can we hang in your room instead?**_

Jonah thought for a moment. It wouldn't really look good for Sinead to be seen going in his room. Most everyone wouldn't think anything about it, but if it got back to Dominic or any of his other dancers that might be suspecting them...then an idea came to him and his face lit up.

 _ **i gotta better idea. go to the 7th floor and wait for me right outside the elevators. Just act casual and look at your phone or something**_

 _ **Okay?**_

She obviously wanted to know why, but Jonah didn't answer her, trying to focus on getting out of there to meet her as soon as possible.

He had been at this hotel once before, and if he remembered correctly—though they were only here for one day—the layout would give them some privacy.

Glancing at his phone again, he groaned internally. He had tried to get up earlier but they had been up so late the night before that he had fallen back asleep.

 _I need to plan better. It doesn't matter that I'm not good at it. I gotta be this week if I want more time with her._

Once he reached the 7th floor, he held his breath and looked around. Sinead was there, looking down at her phone like he told her too. He took a second to admire her figure. How did she always dress in such flattering clothes? Plus the way her hair was falling around her bent head made him want to run his hands through it.

 _Not yet._

"Hey. Is it just us down here?" he asked softly.

She nodded, smiling at him but cautiously looking outside through the glass windows out at the pool. But the elevators were in a separate hallway and it looked like the few people swimming hadn't spotted them, and it was no one from the tour group. Breathing a sigh of relief, Jonah walked by her and muttered, "Follow me but try to act like you're going towards the pool in case the attendants are looking."

She did without commenting, and once they rounded the corner, Jonah saw what he was looking for. Darting his eyes around and seeing that no one was in sight, he grabbed Sinead's hand and pulled her into one of the rooms.

"Jonah?" Her whisper was alarmed. "Are we supposed to be in here?"

The 'here' she was referring to was a small room, surrounded by pool equipment and supplies. Jonah didn't say anything, only smirked and locked the door.

"Probably not. But no one will come in here."

"The attendants might-"

But he cut her off with a kiss, silencing her protests.

Sinead pulled back after a few seconds though, sighing and pursing her lips at him. "Really? You pulled me in here to make out?"

 _Uh, kind of._

But he didn't voice it, just grinned and tightened his grip on her hands. "Not really. But that was for your texts Monday night. I've wanted to kiss you so badly since then."

To his surprise, she grinned back. "I've wanted to do that since Dominic said you didn't hit on that 'hot girl', so here's yours."

He halted her right before her lips touched his. While he wanted to kiss her, the phrase she just said kind of caught him off-guard. "Wait, what are you talkin' about?"

Sinead's face froze and she dropped her gaze as she pulled back. "Um, what he said. About you not hitting on that girl. I know that you wouldn't cheat on me or anything, but it still made me really happy."

Jonah wasn't sure whether to be upset or not, and when she looked up at him again just frowned at her. "Uh, okay?"

She groaned. "I didn't mean it like that. I shouldn't have even brought it up."

He was going to pursue the topic further but his phone went off, so he looked down at the name.

 _Dan Cahill._

"It's Dan. Hang on."

He answered and Dan informed him that everyone was waiting on him and Sinead.

"Have you seen her? Amy said she wasn't in the room."

"No, but I'll head that way in a couple of seconds. I was just down by the pool," he said, then once he hung up turned to Sinead.

"I guess everyone knows that we're both missing and that you weren't in your room, so think of somewhere you could have been."

She shrugged like it was no big deal. "I'll just tell them I had to make a phone call and found a quiet hallway or something."

Jonah nodded, his mind going back to what she said about the girl. Deciding to drop it for now, he placed his hands on her waist and hearing her catch of breath couldn't resist kissing her again. This time she didn't pull back so he lingered, trying to make the moment last. Finally, he pulled back and frowned in disappointment.

"You can go first and I'll wait a second and then join you."

She smiled at him, "Why don't we just go down together and say we ran into each other in the elevator? Wouldn't that be unsuspicious?"

"Sounds good to me." His heart leapt at her words. Did she say them because she wanted to make their time together last too? He hated doubting like this, but sometimes the thought crossed his mind of how much trouble being with him probably was for her. So it was nice when she hinted that her feelings were as strong as his.

Minutes later they joined the others, who were already getting their order.

"We ordered your drinks," Amy informed them. "I hope you guys don't mind."

"No, it's fine," Jonah replied, ignoring Dominic's probing gaze. "Sorry I caught sight of the pool and wandered out there to see if anyone from our group was down there."

"Oh, Sinead went with you?"

Dominic's voice was casual, but Jonah sensed his curiosity.

"No, I met Jonah in the elevator," Sinead answered for him, smiling at Dominic. "But I'm definitely checking the pool out while I'm here."

"That's what we were just talking about," Amy said. "I'm glad I brought my swim stuff."

The waiter came over so the conversation trailed, and soon it halted completely when they all got their food.

Jonah was relieved. He almost was considering letting his dancer in on his relationship status with Sinead. The whole thing was making him so uncomfortable and Dominic wasn't helping matters. But he pushed it aside for now, knowing that he would have more time to think it over later

—

They had finished their food and were waiting on a couple of people to join them when Dominic spoke up. "So, Jonah, I think your cousins should join you on tour more often. They're totally the bomb."

"Yeah, that'd be cool," Jonah agreed, nodding his head towards the rest of them.

"I really want to. It's fun to travel all over and do shows and stuff. And you guys get the best rooms!" Dan stated enthusiastically.

"Yeah it is pretty fun. But it's a lot of work for us," Dominic said.

It was quiet, but only for a few seconds when Dominic suddenly said, "Jonah might be mad at me for this question since he seems protective of you two,"—he gestured towards Sinead and Amy, and Sinead held her breath, not knowing what to expect—"but are you beautiful ladies single or taken?"

Amy spoke up first, laughing lightly. "I'm single at the moment, but I'm not really looking."

"Dang," Dominic said playfully, snapping his fingers. "My loss."

Amy giggled, and Sinead was surprised to see her blush a little, moving her hair nervously behind her ear. She also caught Dan's eye roll from across the table.

 _Does she like him or something?_ Sinead wondered.

She had to admit that Jonah's friend was good-looking, and although flirty he was more so in a fun way instead of a creepy way. Maybe this is what Amy needed to get over Ian-

Her thought were cut off by Dominic's voice, this time in her direction.

"What about you?" he inquired, turning his blue eyes onto her. "I've always had a weakness for redheads."

Sinead raised her eyebrows at him. "I have a boyfriend back home."

She hoped that he would drop it at that, but interest flickered in his eyes.

"Oh, from your hometown or what?"

"Is it really any of your business?" she snapped.

Dominic blinked and leaned back. "Feisty."

But he had a smile on his face, causing Sinead to feel guilty.

"Sorry," she muttered. "He actually is from school. He was on my team on my last school project."

Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw Jonah tense, but then waved it off. He shouldn't be nervous anymore; she thought she was handling it pretty well actually.

"Ah, a college girl. Should have known," he said easily. "I have some friends from the Boston area. What's his name?"

Sinead shouldn't have been thrown off by the question, but she was. "His name?" she asked stupidly.

Suspicion came back into Dominic's eyes. "Your boyfriend doesn't have a name?"

He looked back at Jonah, "Do you know it man?"

Jonah looked calm but Sinead could tell he was barely keeping his composure.

"No, I'm not as nosy as you are dude."

"It's Michael," Sinead said, glad that she already had him in mind for a possibility. It made lying a lot easier when there was some truth mixed in with it. "Michael Burnett. He's my age, nineteen. Does he sound familiar?"

Again, she was proud at her tone and how believable she sounded. Beside Dominic though, she saw Jonah's face freeze, and he shot her a glare.

What? She racked her brain for something she said wrong, but couldn't think of anything.

"No, I guess I don't know him."

Sinead turned her gaze back to Dominic, smoothly turning the topic around on him, "So what about you? No girlfriend?"

He grinned at her, showcasing his straight, white teeth. "Nope. But I won't be single for long I'm sure."

Sinead rolled her eyes, "You're as arrogant as Jonah."

She looked over at her boyfriend, but he was standing up, rubbing the back of his neck and looking away.

"I'll be back in a sec," he suddenly said, and she thought his tone sounded a little _off_. What was his deal now?

He strode quickly away towards the elevator, and Sinead fought the urge to find an excuse to go after him.

 _He's a big boy. He'll work whatever out._

Sinead looked back at the table to see Amy shrugging at Dominic.

"Temperamental celebrities," her cousin explained with a laugh, "Who knows?"

He grinned back at her, and Sinead wondered again at the spark between him. But Dan spoke up, redirecting the conversation.

"So, how long have you been dancing with Jonah?" he asked, eyes lighting up. "You're in practically all of his music videos and stuff."

"Oh since his career started," the other guy answered. "We go way back. I'm probably the only friend he's from the early years that hasn't sold him out or turned on him."

"That's crazy," Amy said. "He's such a good guy too."

"I know," Dominic answered. "Sure, he got on the wrong path a few times, but he's always pressed through. I was actually disappointed to find out that you both are related to him."

He gestured towards Amy and Sinead. "You seem like great friends to him and are so down-to-earth. He needs someone like that, especially in this business. But he'll find someone like that to date soon I'm sure."

 _He needs someone like that._

Sinead mused that if Dominic knew more about her, he would want to eat those words.

Jonah returned after only about ten minutes, but he was withdrawn, only speaking up a few times to add to the conversation, mostly when Dan asked him a question.

Sinead tried to discreetly catch his eye, but he wouldn't even look at her. It wouldn't have bothered her so much, except for he was looking at everyone else perfectly fine.

 _He is upset with me, no doubt about it. But why?_

She bit her lip, contemplating this. Normally she figured things and people out quickly, but with Jonah it was like she was blinded, her feelings for him getting in the way. She pushed them aside now, pretending that Jonah was just a random person, and then it hit her.

 _Michael._

He had been perfectly fine until she brought up a guy from her college, and hadn't acted mad until she had named Michael. Was Jonah _jealous_?

He had to be, she reasoned. It was the only thing that fit, yet at the same time it didn't make sense. Sinead had revealed the names of three guys to Jonah that she had dated in the past, and Michael's name hadn't been listed. She never even talked about him unless it had something to do with school. He was a friend yes, but not a close one.

And _if_ Jonah was jealous, that made him a huge hypocrite.

 _He's dated tons of girls. And has even hopped into bed with them._

Anger and her own feelings of jealousy welled up in her even as the conversation went on around her. If this is why he was ignoring her and acting like she had just committed some crime, then he was in for a revelation when he found out that Sinead wasn't having it.

She abruptly stood. "I need to grab something out of my room," she announced, keeping her tone even and her face cheerful.

They told her to be back soon so they could leave for shopping. She just nodded as she exited, and as soon as she hit the stairs called her boyfriend.

"Hello?" he answered warily, sounded reluctant to talk to her.

"Tell them it's your dad or something, and get up here."

Sinead hung up, ascended the rest of the stairs easily, then slipped inside her room to wait.

 _Calm down,_ she told herself. _Give him a chance to explain first, maybe you're wrong._

Within seconds a knock sounded on the door, and she stood and let him in.

"What's up?" he asked her, not looking directly into her eyes.

"Sit," she said. "I want an explanation."

He ignored her command and kept standing, but met her gaze. His face was expressionless, but she could see something churning behind his eyes.

"You're mad at me," she stated. "Only I've done nothing to merit your anger. Tell me what's wrong."

He let out a deep breath, hand going to his forehead. "You're not gonna let this drop are you?"

"No. I swear to god if this is about Michael-"

She stopped when his eyes flashed. "It is, isn't it? You're not jealous are you?"

"Why would I be jealous?" he snorted. "You just were a little _too_ smooth down there, don't ya think? Couldn't you think of someone else to name besides your Boston 'friend'?"

He made quotation marks with his hands on the word 'friend', and Sinead felt the blood drain from her face.

But Jonah had more to say. "It's funny how his name was the only one you could come up with, especially when you told me that you don't even talk to him anymore."

"Wha..what are you accusing me of?" she stammered, her voice coming out in a whisper as his words settled over her. "Cheating on you?"

"No. But Dan mentioned at my house in August-"

"I can't _BELIEVE_ you!"

The change of volume of her voice surprised even her, but she gritted her teeth and added. "I've already disclosed the three guys I have dated to you, which is more than you've done!"

She saw him freeze, but couldn't stop the words from leaking out, laced with hurt. "You've probably slept with too many girls to count, and you're jealous of me? I've already told you about my amateur dating skills, so unless you're calling me a _liar-"_

Her voice caught, and she took a deep breath, not looking at Jonah.

She felt guilty for bringing his past up, even though what he had done—implying that he didn't trust her—was worse. Thankfully her phone rang, and she blindly answered it.

"Hello?"

"Um Sinead, are you ok?" Dan's voice sounded from the other line.

"Yeah, what's up?" she asked, trying to keep her tone mellow.

"We're about to leave. You're still coming right? And do you know where Jonah is?"

"He's right here," she assured. "We're on our way down."

She hung up the phone and grabbed her purse, not waiting for Jonah to follow her out the door, but headed for the stairs at a run.

—

 **...please don't kill me for that scene haha**

 **Reviews are much appreciated, as always! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here is chapter 8! I hope that it doesn't disappoint!**

—

Awkward.

That was the only way to explain the atmosphere between her and Jonah.

Sinead—still so angry and hurt that she could barely think—distracted herself with hanging out with Amy, Elise, and Amber, the latter of the two having joined their group right before they left the hotel.

Despite all of the emotions, she was trying to act nonchalant and must have been pulling it off since no one had asked her if she was okay, but her head was whirling.

Guys had such a double standard and it wasn't fair. She had no idea how Jonah could justify his actions earlier, and glancing across the store at him where he was standing with Dan and Dominic by the entrance, it didn't look like he was even fazed by their fight.

Maybe he wasn't. Maybe he already was already considering dumping her, especially after she had thrown his past in his face. She regretted it, although a lot of people would have justified it in light of the direction of the argument. But Sinead wasn't a 'lot of people'.

She cared deeply for her boyfriend. In fact, her feelings that had slowly grown over the last few months of just phone contact had multiplied over the past couple of days. She was pretty sure that she would do almost anything for him.

 _It's only been a couple of months, too early for love, right?_

She didn't know for sure, but she did know that her words had probably brought memories up that he wanted to forget about. And even though she felt hurt by what _he_ had said, she hated thinking he may be feeling the same way.

Glancing at him again, she now caught a glimpse of his face, which was smiling at something Dan was saying.

Heart lurching, and hating herself for still feeling so attracted to him while she was angry, she looked down quickly and pretended to be engrossed in a pair of earrings.

"Hey Sinead, which shoes?" Amber's voice came from a little ways back in the store, and she was relieved at the distraction.

She smiled at the dancer, and then looked admiringly at both pairs of shoes she was holding.

"Get both," she said decisively.

Amber laughed, "I love shopping with you!" She glanced over both pairs of shoes, "I'll do it."

 _At least I can make someone happy._

—

Sinead was just getting into the flow of shopping, her time with Jonah's dancers taking her mind off of everything, when Elise's voice sounded beside her.

"Uh oh," she muttered. "I think someone's cover is blown."

Sinead glanced quickly at Elise, and then followed her gaze out at the street where mobs of people were cramming around something. She then caught a glimpse of Chet shoving his way through the masses, and realized that Elise was right.

Beside her, she heard Amy's intake of breath.

"Don't worry," Amber's voice was calm. "There's a plan. Once Chet gets Jonah in the limo he'll come back for us. It's easier that way because the crowd will be focused on Jonah and not us."

"Yeah, it's no big deal," Elise put in, but glanced at Amy quickly. "Still, brace yourself. Even with the bodyguards Jonah's fans are _insane._ "

"Great," Amy mumbled, and Sinead felt her own wave of unease at the masses gathered outside. She wasn't _nervous_ in crowds but she hated them all the same.

It seemed like ages before Chet appeared, motioning them through the crowd and making a path. Sinead decided to let Amy fall in place between Amber and Elise, trailing behind them as she tried to dodge the girls that were practically foaming at the mouth to get to the limo. She was doing pretty good but was focusing so hard on Amber's back that she tripped over a fangirl that jumped in front of her and lost her balance, knocking her head against the girl's hand on the way down. It took her a minute to get back up, wincing at the sting on her forehead where she had hit the girl's huge Onyx ring.

"Oh, sorry!" the girl squealed but then she was gone, trying to get to the limo that was already starting to pull away from the curb.

 _Dang it._ Sinead stared after the retreating vehicle. _Now_ what was she going to do?

—

Heart still racing, Amy collapsed in the limo. Behind her, Amber slammed the door just as the vehicle started to take off.

"Where's Sinead?"

She looked up at Jonah's question to see him scanning over the faces now seated.

Sinead? She should be here. Amy's mind tried to think back to the shuffle but all she could remember were screams and limbs in her face and bodies shoving against hers. A shudder ran over her at the flashbacks.

"She was right behind me," Amber said, a frown crossing her face. "I swore she was right there."

"Hey stop the limo," Jonah leaned up across Dan and barked at his driver.

Chet turned around from the passenger seat. "Why, what's up?"

"Sinead's not here." Jonah's voice sounded tight with worry, and Amy could see it clearly on his face.

Amy was worried too, but thought that Jonah would try to hide his concern a little. She saw Dominic look over at him sharply, but he spoke up too.

"With that crowd she probably just got lost. I'll go look for her."

Jonah frowned at him, but agreed. "Okay yeah, I would just make it worse I guess if I went."

Now the girls on his team were staring at him too, as if surprised he was even considering going back out into the mass of fans and he must have caught their looks.

"What?" he practically snapped. "She's not used to crowds like we are and she could have gotten hurt or somethin'. Excuse me for being concerned."

"We didn't say anything," Elise said lightly, then turned to Amy, changing the subject. "What did you think about the mob?"

Amy shuddered, trying not to think of it. "I hate crowds so it was horrible. I don't know how you guys handle it."

"Eh it was no big deal." Her brother shrugged his shoulders from the opposite end of the limo, but Amy knew that Dan was probably exaggerating a bit.

Dominic crawled over them at that point, and Amy held her breath, trying not to feel affected by how close his body was to hers.

 _What's wrong with me? I still have feelings for Ian._

But this entire week Ian had gradually been pushed back in her mind, Jonah's blonde-haired friend creeping into her thoughts even as she tried to push him away. And then there was the conversation they had that morning at breakfast...

 _ ***Flashback***_

" _Hey."_

 _Amy looked up from the menu to see Dominic standing and grinning down at her. It threw her off for a second, but Dan appeared behind him and took a seat right beside her, much to her relief._

" _Morning sis," he greeted as he picked up his own menu, wrinkling his nose at the picture on the front. "What kind of food do they have here? I hope it's not weird stuff."_

" _Dan! Shhh!" Amy whispered, looking around the dining area. Thankfully, no one appeared to have heard him._

" _We've been here before and I can tell you right now that the buffet is the way to go," Dominic spoke up. Instead of sitting by Dan though, he went around the table and sat directly across from her._

 _Great, Amy thought. Now she would be forced to look into his blue eyes the entire meal. It wasn't like the eye color was unusual, but his were so bright it was almost disconcerting._

 _She didn't want to appear annoyed though, so she quickly looked back down. Dan started asking Dominic about the swimming pool and what other things there were to do at this hotel, and it gave her time to calm down. By the time they ordered their drinks, she was fine. Until Dan stood to get his food at the buffet, that is._

" _Aren't you going too?" Amy asked Dominic, sipping her drink and eying him._

 _The grin that always made her heart flip was flashed at her, and he answered, "Nah, I'll order off the menu like you."_

 _How did he always manage to make_ _ **everything**_ _sound so flirty? Clearing her throat, Amy stated wryly, "I thought the buffet was 'the way to go'."_

 _The dancer shrugged, leaning back in his chair, his grin not faltering. "Well, maybe I want to talk to you some more. We haven't really gotten to yet."_

" _We talked last night," she pointed out, wanting to add, 'you hit on me, again, remember?' but she refrained. No use in bringing all of that up._

" _Yeah but not alone. I think you're pretty interesting, Amy Cahill."_

 _Her name on his lips made her heart skip, but she felt stupid as soon as it did. She tried to think of something to say, but ended up only being able to let out a nervous laugh. He really thought she was interesting? Or was he just saying that?_

" _Why so quiet? You don't believe me?"_

" _Look," Amy said, finally feeling enough courage to confront him about his behavior, and also to tell him about her hesitation. She liked Dominic, it was true, but it wouldn't be fair to him if she didn't confess something. "You're really nice Dominic, but-"_

 _She cut off as she saw Dan approaching._

" _But what?" Dominic prompted, a frown crossing his face._

" _Later," she said, feeling both relieved and frustrated at her brother's timing._

 _After a few minutes though, relief won out. Had she really been about to tell him about Ian? She barely knew Dominic, and though he was Jonah's friend, that didn't mean she could trust him._

 ***End Flashback***

Amy was brought back to the present with a new thought. _He's a player too; he even admitted it last night. You don't need someone like that in your life._

At that she settled in, shooting Jonah a warning look when she heard him mutter something under his breath, only he was focused on staring out the window, a worried frown still etched on his face.

—

"There you are!"

Sinead whipped her head up from her phone at Dominic's voice.

"Thank goodness," she said, not bothering to hide the relief in her voice. "I can't get a signal here."

"Sorry we ran in the limo at such a rush that it took at second to get a head count," he explained. "But it's waiting a few blocks away."

He started to say more, but she saw him glance at her face and stop. "Did you get hurt? What happened?"

She brushed it off. "I'll explain to everyone so I only have to say it once. Let's just get out of here."

It was moments like these where Sinead felt extremely thankful that her relationship with Jonah wasn't public. Once she had escaped the mess around Jonah's limo no one had paid her any mind.

Dominic just shook his head and lightly grasped her arm to guide her down the street.

"Jonah's gonna flip," she heard him mumble, but didn't have the energy to argue with him. More like Jonah would 'flip' over the fact that she was stupid enough to get lost from the others.

They walked swiftly down the street and around the corner, and Sinead spotted the limo mostly hidden behind some trees parked right by the road. She glanced around but didn't see a mob, and her relief grew.

Feeling Dominic's hand drop from her arm she looked up at him. "Thanks Dominic. You're a lifesaver."

"Jonah's the one who noticed, and he wanted to come look for you himself." He stopped by the door and opened it, gesturing for her to get in first.

She didn't have time to digest this, just quietly slipped in and took the first open seat right by the door, feeling like an idiot but happy to be reunited with everyone.

"Sinead!" Amber was right there beside her, relief showing in her light brown eyes. "So sorry we lost you."

"We thought you were right there," Amy said, biting her lip guiltily, her eyes apologetic.

Sinead waved it off, pretending that it hadn't been a big deal.

"It wasn't your fault. I tripped and then got hit in the head with some huge ring," she explained, rolling her eyes and adding to Amy, "That girl would have put Nellie to shame."

"You got hit?" Jonah spoke up, and Sinead could hear the tension in his voice. She glanced up before she could catch herself, and saw a glint of anger in his eyes.

"It's not that bad," she said quickly, but her boyfriend was looking at Amber.

"Switch me seats?" he asked, but it came out more like a demand than a request.

She complied and Sinead heard Jonah scoot in beside her rather than saw it, since she decided to look down and play with a string on her jacket.

He didn't say anything but she felt his hand on her chin, prodding her face towards his. Figuring she shouldn't resist in front of everyone, she kept her expression blank and turned.

His eyes were steady, and she saw the anger leave and be replaced by concern. "You were bleeding."

"It's no big deal." She tried to move away from him, but he swore and kept his grip on her face, as if willing her to look at him. Only she was avoiding his eyes.

"I'm sorry Sinead," his voice rolled over her, softly now, and her heart dropped.

 _Nice charade Wizard. I'm starting to believe that you actually care._

"Why are you sorry? It's not your fault." Her voice was wooden, and she heard him let out a sigh as he dropped his hand.

"This is stupid," he said in a louder voice.

She looked up but Jonah's gaze was directed at Dominic. "We've been friends for ages bro. You're the person that I trust the most outside of my dad."

He then turned to Amber and Elise. "And you two are like my big sisters. I know you guys would never sell me out."

They stared at him in confusion, and Sinead froze.

 _Surely he's not about to admit-_

But he did in the next breath. "Sinead's my girlfriend. We've been dating since August."

The silence was _loud_ in the limo, everyone gaping at him, including her.

"Honestly Dominic, I'm surprised ya haven't called me out already. But anyways the two of us kinda need to work something out, so do you guys care if we ditch you?" Jonah asked.

Sinead glared at him. "Um, maybe I don't _want_ to talk to you right now."

It was mean, but true. She was still angry with him and guilty feelings were churning in her stomach over what she had said too.

Jonah looked at her, piercing her with his gaze, but his voice was soft again. "Please babe. Let me apologize."

It threw her off guard, both his words and the way he asked, so she just blinked at him. Then, not being able to hold his gaze, she looked away and mumbled, "Fine."

It was still for about two seconds, then Amber spoke up. "Well, things make a lot more sense now," she said with a light laugh.

Dominic leaned back in his seat. "Like Jonah being so happy this week? And him being so easy-going in rehearsals as compared to the last few weeks? Talk about a mood switch." He grinned at his friend, adding, "Totally called it from day one. Although you guys threw me off a few times."

In spite of herself Sinead felt heat spread on her cheeks as she looked at Dominic. "Yeah, thanks for grilling me earlier by the way."

He laughed. "You're actually pretty good at lying. I wasn't sure what to think after all of that. But it's good that you did. Do you know how many girls have felt the need to brag about their relationship with Jonah and the pressure that it's put him under?"

Sinead stared at Jonah—whose expression was apathetic—then back at Dominic. "Uh, no."

Elise pipped up. "Like Meredith, constantly posting pictures and tweeting about him and then dropping him for Bieber when he was getting popular."

"Or Angie," Amber added. "Always looking for that camera and wanting to be on the front page."

Sinead rolled her eyes, annoyed that her boyfriend had been naive enough to date these girls. "Spotlight whores." She gave Jonah an exasperated look, which was easy to do since she was still pissed at him. "What were you thinking?"

"I love how direct you are." Dominic grinned at her, then over at his friend, "You gotta good one. I'm jealous."

"I know." Jonah's hand found Sinead's and she tried not to show how pleased she was, both at his answer and the smile that spread across his face, showcasing his dimples.

 _You're fighting, remember?_

Only it didn't really feel like they were anymore.

"Whatever." She tried to blow it off instead, but relaxed a bit against the soft cushioned seat, casting a wry look at Amy.

But her friend was looking at Dominic with an unreadable expression. It was like Ian all over again, except different this time. Sinead couldn't put her finger on it but she could feel the chemistry between her friend and the dancer even if they couldn't.

Not having any energy left for thought now, her angry adrenaline having faded, Sinead let out a little breath and allowed her eyelids to close. Jonah didn't say anything else, but she felt him squeeze her hand tighter in response.

 _We're going to be okay. Just hear him out and then apologize._

—

Once they arrived at the hotel, everyone else decided to get out too.

"I'm just going to relax by the pool," Amy stated. "That was enough excitement for one day."

"Pool? I'm thinking more like a nap!" Elise spoke up.

"Sheesh you guys are both boring." Dan shot them a disappointed look. "I'm going on a video game binge."

"Video games? I was thinking of taking you along to dance rehearsal. Broderick sent a group text out to the background dancers a while ago asking us to meet him in"—Dominic pulled out his phone—"fifteen minutes."

Elise let out a groan as Dan's eyes widened.

"Sweet!" he exclaimed.

"Dang it," Jonah muttered, then frowned at his phone. "Wait, I didn't get anything."

"He only sent it to the backup dancers and 2 stage crew members," Dominic said, shrugging his shoulders. "I guess it's just for us."

"Good." Jonah looked at Sinead, who had been observing the others with amusement. "I'll go up now to my room. It's #2012. Walk up with Amy and then see if you can join me unnoticed?"

"Hey I'm a pro at being sneaky," Sinead stated proudly, flipping her hair for good measure.

Jonah didn't say anything else, but shot her a grin before turning for the stairs.

Beside her Amber let out a light laugh as Jonah disappeared from view. "I guess you are. I still can't believe y'all have been hiding your relationship this well. Jonah normally isn't very discreet in that area."

Sinead wasn't sure how to take that statement, so she just smiled at Amber. "Thanks for being so cool this week. You and Elise kept me sane today, _and_ kept me from going over and knocking Jonah upside the head."

The black-haired girl laughed again, but this time a little louder. "I've only known you for two days but you're already my favorite outta all of Jonah's girlfriends. You're like, I don't know, _real_."

"Uh thanks," Sinead repeated, feeling a bit awkward. But she was happy that the girl had said that, thinking that Jonah had probably dated plenty in the time that she had been on his team. Amber headed up the stairs to get ready for rehearsal and Amy and Sinead followed her more slowly.

When Sinead finally reached Jonah's door, she reached her hand up to knock but it was already opening as he motioned for her to come in.

She did so, but halted in the middle of the room, not really knowing what to say, surveying the surroundings without really looking at anything.

"Hey."

She brought her gaze up to Jonah's at his soft word. He was staring at her intently from just a few feet away and she swallowed, waiting to hear what he would say.

"I'm really sorry Sinead. Accusing you like that was totally messed up."

The look on his face was contrite, and she started to open her mouth to tell him it was okay but he held up a hand. "Let me explain, please."

She snapped her mouth back closed and nodded at him encouragingly.

"I didn't mean to sound so jealous and like I was attacking you. I was just upset." Blowing out a breath he looked behind her instead of in her eyes. "It just kept rollin' through my mind that you could be home, dating _him_ —someone who probably could treat you better than I could. Someone who could actually take you out on dates, and make you a priority like you deserve."

Sinead felt stunned. This was so far from the reason she had suspected that she gaped at him. _That_ is why he had gotten so angry at the mention of Michael's name? Because he felt insecure? She wanted to say something, but her voice felt stuck in her throat.

"Then I was wondering why you were with me and why you were willing to put up with everything, just like back in August when I kept putting my career above you," Jonah went on. "Especially this week with me hardly being able to spend time with you, even though you sacrificed an entire week of your time to be here. And then I wondered when ya would get tired of it and leave."

His voice had dropped at the last bit, knocking Sinead out of her stupor.

"What? Jonah, you're a great person, _and_ a great boyfriend," she said, fighting the uncomfortable feeling of being too sappy. "You've pushed aside so many things to make time for me, and I'm not just talking about this week. Why would you even think those things?"

He laughed bitterly, still avoiding her now searching eyes. "Not everyone stays ya know."

Sinead's heart clenched at the word 'everyone'; she knew who he was referring to.

"I'm not Cora," she said firmly. "I"—she halted, the word _love_ almost leaving her mouth, and then let out a breath a finished lamely—"care about you too much to leave you."

He didn't say anything, and she laughed, though without a trace of humor. "This is so ironic."

"How so?"

She looked down, suddenly not being able to meet his gaze now that she was the one confessing. "It did hurt, when you said that about me and Michael. It felt like you didn't trust me or something. But…" she trailed off, thinking of how to say it. "I was mainly worried about you getting tired of putting up with me too. That's why I got so angry Jonah."

Looking up at him and catching his confused expression, she tried to explain. "I thought of you initiating most of the calls and text during the last two months, and about how I still really don't know what I'm doing. I know we had that conversation on our last day together in Bora Bora, but after not seeing you for almost two months..."

She trailed again, then took a deep breath. "It's like I'm getting used to our relationship all over again. And trying to figure out what you want from me. What you expect. I feel like you're the one doing all of the work and I'm just sitting over here. I mean, you planned our date and helped us sneak away this morning and-"

He chuckled, and it was so sudden it made her start.

"Weren't you the one who doubled up on stuff in order to spend this week with me?" he reminded her.

"I guess," she shrugged, then braced herself, the next words on her tongue being the ones that had weighed on her all day. "But I'm sorry too."

"For what?" He was looking at her like she was crazy, "You don't need to apologize; your anger was completely justified. _I'm_ the one who's sorry for making you think that I don't trust you. I do."

"Not that," Sinead gulped. "Throwing your past in your face by bringing up those girls. It was totally uncalled for."

He didn't say anything, just reached over and took her hand, lightly squeezing it.

"I guess you're not the only one who gets jealous," she continued. "I try not to think about you being with them, it's just-"

His hands were on her shoulders (she had no idea how he had moved so fast) and he was gently kissing her forehead.

"Don't be jealous. I was stupid. And they didn't mean anything." She could hear the smile in his voice. "It sounds cliché, I know, but you're the first girl I've dated that has meant so much to me."

"Yeah?" she breathed out.

"Yeah," he said, then paused. "This is probably too soon, but I'm gonna go ahead and say it."

She stiffened, nervous about what he was about to say, heart drumming in her chest. She was glad that he was still hovering over her, where she didn't have to look directly into his eyes.

"I don't want to scare ya off," his voice sounded distant—was that his nerves, or was the sound of her heartbeat drowning him out?—"But I need to be honest with you too. I'm pretty sure I'm falling in love with you."

Inhaling sharply, Sinead searched her brain with what to say, but couldn't find her voice. So she chose instead to meet his eyes, heart still pounding.

"You don't have to say anything back." His eyes were soft, staring intently into hers. "I just want ya to know that. I can't imagine being with anyone else, I don't even consider it even. Spending time with you this week has been the highlight of my year. Even better than back in Bora Bora when we first started dating."

Sinead finally found her voice. "It's been for me too," she whispered. "I feel like I know you even more now, that's why I hated fighting with you earlier. And-"

Her breath caught but she plunged on. "I think I'm falling for you too. I've never had these feelings before and it scares me sometimes, but I want this to last."

"We'll make it last."

With that promise ringing around them Jonah pulled her to him in a tight embrace and she snuggled in, the barriers that had been between them falling away. She felt like she did their last day together in August when they had cleared the air about her past dating experiences. It was crazy how he could bring the emotions out in her that she always tried to hide.

"What are ya thinking?" he asked, a curious note in his voice.

It was then that she realized she was nuzzling her face against his neck, and drew back a little.

"Just how you bring out my soft side," she said reluctantly. "I hate it sometimes."

He chuckled. "That's not bad. You help me too. Like giving me that motivational pep talk last month that helped me deal with Eric."

"Hey, he had it coming. I hate it when he tries to walk all over you."

"Noted." The smile could be heard in his voice.

She pulled back from his embrace, feeling the need for space—it was either that or she was going to turn into a total sap—and looked around the room.

"I'm surprised that your room looks like the rest of ours," she said. "It's not very Wiz-ed up."

He shrugged, sitting down on his bed and saying easily, "Shoulda seen the last hotel. I had an entire suite that was way bigger than anyone else's."

She barely stopped the eye roll, focusing instead on the large Plasma T.V. across from the bed.

"You've got a nicer T.V. than the rest of us I see."

"Jealous?" he asked innocently, then winced as if realizing what he said. "Never mind, let's not get into all of that again."

He patted the bed beside him. "We could watch a movie if ya want. Enjoy the peace and quiet before everyone gets back and our alone time is interrupted."

She shot a glance at the bed, biting her lip, then joined him.

"Only if I get to pick the movie," she said.

He eyed her back. "Nothing too scientific please."

She kept her space from him, trying not to feel weird about sitting on his bed and replied lightly, "Of course not. How about romance?"

"Here on the bed or the movie choice?" he teased.

She laughed nervously. "Movie choice. But I was kidding. Mystery?"

"That's fine." He picked up the remote and picked something out, then scooted closer to her.

"We'll keep it low-key," he said, and Sinead knew that he wasn't talking about the movie. "So just chill."

"I can do that," she stated, scooting over slightly too but not touching him.

They kept that position and were about fifteen minutes into the movie when Sinead finally glanced over at him again. It wasn't too often that she had the chance to ogle him without him noticing, so she allowed her eyes to wander over his frame while he was distracted. He had changed into a t-shirt so she could see the outline of his frame against it, and as she moved her gaze along his neck and up to his face she had to smile at the way he was looking intently at the screen.

 _He's hot when he gets that focused look on his face. And I probably shouldn't be staring at him like this. That ego of his…_

But she couldn't help it, her eyes slowly falling from his eyes down to his nose before finally resting on his mouth. Biting her lip, she remembered that the last time he had kissed her— _really_ kissed her—had been Sunday night after their date. She kind of wanted him to kiss her like that again. Should she initiate it? Sinead was sure her boyfriend wouldn't mind but she wasn't sure how to go about it.

The sound of Jonah clearing his throat brought her out of her musings and she knew that she was caught, but raised her eyes and met his boldly. The intense look was still there but amusement was now sprinkled in with it.

Refusing to become intimidated, she lifted her chin and leaned over but hovered right in front his lips, suddenly feeling a bit shy

 _Come on, where's your confidence?_ she asked herself, and then leaned in the rest of the way.

It was only the second time she had initiated a kiss, the first one being at the airport. But then Sinead had been so happy to see him that she hadn't thought about it.

Now it was different, she could tell that he was letting her take the lead, him only slightly pressing back. It threw her off and she attempted to pull away, but one of his hands came up to rest on the side of her mouth, holding her close.

"You're doing fine," he breathed, then moved back in and took control.

He started out gentle, almost like he was coaxing her, but then he started kissing her more purposefully, all while softly touching her—although staying in pretty safe places, like her stomach and neck area.

Sinead was just starting to let her mind drift, _especially_ when Jonah lightly pushed her back on the bed and started pulling at the hem of her shirt, when a sharp "Oh! Uh..." was heard.

She stiffened as Jonah rolled off of her and they both looked to the door.

Dan was standing there, looking horrified.

"Your dad needs you. He said you weren't answering your phone _or_ the room phone."

The shock melted away from his face, but was replaced with a glare as he backed up and added, "You obviously weren't able to hear the door either. I did knock."

Sinead blushed. Now that her head was clear she could remember a faint knocking sound.

"Oops sorry," she mumbled, but Dan had already slammed the door shut.

She shot Jonah a glance to see that he was standing up and stretching, an annoyed look on his face.

"There goes our movie," he said, as if they had really been watching it.

"Our movie?" she asked, scoffing. "More like our make-out session."

She wasn't feeling shy anymore, and bounded up to him, pulling him in for another slow kiss. "I guess I'll see you later?" she asked, a smile on her face.

"You know it." He reluctantly pulled away. "Don't have too much fun while I'm working."

"Well I don't know if you consider the pool fun…" she let the words trail as she backed up to the door.

Jonah made a face at her. "Whatever. Take your phone and I'll text ya as soon as I'm done."

"Okay. So we can finish our movie?" Making her voice innocent, she added before he could answer, already halfway out the door, "See you later!"

Looking back at Jonah's stunned face, she let the door slam behind her and let out a smirk. It was kind of fun having the upper hand.

—

He was going to murder both of them. Slipping back into the room he informed Broderick that Jonah would be right down.

"Good. Was he in his room then?"

At Dan's nod the older man frowned. "I wonder if something's wrong with his room phone…"

Dan shrugged and hoped that he looked just as confused, but when he went back over to Dominic the dancer leaned over to him wearing a smirk. "You look kinda pale man. Did ya just see something you shouldn't have?"

Dan winced, trying to shut the images of his two cousins making out from his mind. "Yeah. They were dressed but if I had come in a few minutes later…" he trailed, shuddering at the visual. "I'm not talking about it anymore."

Dominic just chuckled and went back to whatever he was doing. Dan eyed him for a second, still not sure if he liked him or not. Sure, at first he had seemed super cool and friendly and he was easy to hang around. But if he kept making comments at his sister...well, let's just say that Dan would put his foot down. The guy was worse than Ian, and that was saying a lot.

The door opened and Jonah strolled in the room like he didn't have a care in the world. "Sorry dad, somethin' must be wrong with my room phone."

The casualness of his tone irked Dan and he shot his cousin a glare. Only Jonah wasn't looking at him, intent on whatever Broderick was saying. On one hand, Dan understood how long-distant relationships were and that Jonah and Sinead were a lot older than him, but allowing him to see that was completely _wrong._

 _They were in his room with the door shut,_ his mind reasoned, but immediately was followed with, _but still, doesn't he know that his dad has a key and could use it whenever? Besides, they haven't even been dating that long, not nearly as long as Natalie and I anyways._

While he and Natalie had done their share of kissing and stuff, his girlfriend had already made it clear to him that she wasn't ready for more, and Dan kind of wasn't either. I mean, he was a guy and all but he understood. They were both really young still and with the distance...

Dan decided that instead of dwelling on this uncomfortable subject, he would check his phone to see if the person in question had sent him any updates and sure enough, his screen read: **1 new message: Natalie**

Opening it up and grinning at the contents, he cleared his throat. "Um, I'll be back."

—

 **Hehe, let the drama begin! I can't let Sinead and Jonah just make up, make out, and then have the story go back to being drama free again right? ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**So I didn't plan to post this until Saturday/Sunday, but I had some extra time this week so I got to finish it...enjoy!**

—

Sinead had only been out by the pool for about a minute when her phone lit up. She debated ignoring it—the water in front of her looked _so_ inviting and she was anxious to dive in—but made a snap decision and reached for it.

"Hey," Jonah's voice came through the receiver. "Can you come to the conference room where we're doing the rehearsal?"

"Um, sure," she answered, trying to think of why her presence was needed.

"Thanks. I'll explain when you get here."

She hung up the phone, then relayed the information to Amy, ending with, "You want to come with?"

Amy shrugged, but reached for her towel. "Yeah, why not?"

It took them only a few seconds to get dressed and find the room. Sinead felt a little uneasy for some reason, but she wrote it off to not wanting to interrupt rehearsal. Plus, she had no idea why they would need _her._

But all of those thoughts fled her mind once she walked in the room.

Standing there, decked out in designer clothes and looking super out of place among Jonah's crew, were two familiar figures.

Ian and Natalie Kabra.

 _What are they doing here? How-_

Her gaze flew to Amy, whose face looked both stunned and panicked. Sinead thought quickly, and said in the most casual tone she could manage, "Hey, what are you two doing here?"

She put her hand nonchalantly over Amy's as she voiced the question, hoping the gesture would help.

Natalie was the first to answer, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she smoothed her perfectly styled hair, "Visiting you all, of course. We thought it would be a lovely surprise."

Dan grinned back at her, looping his arm around her waist as he added, "Yeah, they were close by so thought they would spend a few days on tour with us."

Sinead processed this, while also processing that Ian looked just as uncomfortable as Amy. The British boy was looking at her cousin with an unreadable expression, while she was trying to look at everyone _but_ him. Then Sinead saw him make a move like he was going to move closer and talk to them—as she and Amy were still several feet away—and Sinead thought fast, trying to think of something to say to divert him, or at least to give Amy time to get a grip.

But another figure approached the group, drawing everyone's attention away, and at first the Ekat felt relieved—until she saw who it was.

Dominic.

 _Uh-oh. This is going to be a disaster._

But she felt at a loss of what to do, and could only watch as he addressed Jonah, "Hey so these are your cousins?"

Jonah nodded, and for the first time, Sinead noted that _he_ didn't look surprised at all. But then again, her boyfriend was pretty easy-going.

Dominic shook Ian's hand, then Natalie's—thankfully not flirting, though probably because Dan was giving him a warning look—then turned and looked at Sinead and Amy.

"Oh, so you two decided to join us after all?" he asked. "What an honor."

Sinead felt Amy stiffen, so she answered for them, "Yep. Jonah asked me to come in. What's up?"

She directed the last bit at her boyfriend, who had his hands in his pockets and was exchanging a look with his dad, who Sinead just noticed was standing beside him.

"Well," Broderick said with an easy laugh, "Jonah forgot to tell me they were coming and wanted to stay with our group. I can get them a room in Hong Kong, but not tonight. Can Natalie stay with you and Amy?"

"Of course," Sinead answered, shooting the young girl a smile, which was returned. Opening her mouth, she was about to offer to take Natalie up there now—and hopefully get Amy out of here—when Dominic beat her to it.

"So you've been swimming, huh?" he asked Amy.

Not giving the Cahill a chance to answer, he stepped towards her and brushed a brown strand of hair out of her face. "Your hair's wet," he added, like that explained his move.

Amy blushed a bright red color, but didn't step back.

And then a velvety voice cut in, smooth, but lined with something Sinead couldn't place. "I think it's pretty _obvious_ that her hair is wet."

Both Dominic and Amy turned to look at Ian. When the British boy landed his gaze on Amy, ignoring the other, he said softly, "Hello Amy."

"Um, hi Ian," she answered.

Right away, Sinead regretted bringing Amy in here with her. If only she had stayed out by the pool, Sinead could have gone back and warned her. Instead, she watched her cousin lift her chin and try to look unaffected.

"Hi to you also Natalie. I'm glad you guys could join us."

Mentally applauding her, Sinead cleared her throat. "Yes, it will be a lot of fun. Natalie, do you want to go ahead and put your stuff in your room?"

"No need for that," Dan inserted cheerfully. "Their bags were already taken up. We figured you wouldn't mind."

Sinead barely held back her retort at _that_ one. It was obvious what had happened here. Dan had known about this, Jonah too, it looked like, and no one had bothered to let the others in on it. And she doubted it was for the 'surprise' effect.

She glanced at Jonah again, but he was grinning at her and Amy, "Great, it's all settled then. And I think we're done with rehearsals too so we can all hang or something."

"Sounds good to me," Dominic spoke up. He had backed away from Amy at Ian's comment, but was still smiling at her. "I was just telling Amy this morning that we should spend more time together."

"I didn't agree though, remember?" she retorted.

"You were about to, before Dan interrupted us," Dominic said, making it sound like they had been having an intimate moment, which Sinead highly doubted. Annoyance flared up; she was sure that Dominic had picked up on the tension between Amy and the dark-haired boy, yet he was still putting her in this position.

"Maybe," Amy suddenly smirked, though her body was still stiff. "If you're lucky enough."

Wait, was she flirting back? With Ian right there?

"Spend more time together? I was unaware that you had a boyfriend Amy."

Shock hit Sinead at the way Ian's words came out, rigid and almost angry-sounding, but she didn't have a chance to think of something to say, because Dominic was already replying, "Oh, does Amy report to you? Weird, but if so, we aren't _technically_ dating, so you have nothing to worry about."

No one spoke, and if Sinead would have had a mind towards humor, she would have laughed at the expression on Broderick's face. Jonah's dad looked both confused and trapped, his eyes scanning the room like he wasn't sure who to look at or what was happening.

Sinead glanced back at Ian though, wanting to see his response. Dominic had said the word 'technically' with an emphasis, implying that there was _something_ going on, even if it wasn't official. Which wasn't true, but Ian wouldn't know that.

The Lucian looked like he had eaten something that disagreed with him, but only said in a tight voice, "If everyone will excuse me, I think shall go unpack. Key?"

Dan wordlessly handed it to him, and in seconds, Ian had crossed the room and disappeared out the door.

A somewhat awkward silence lingered, and Amy, who Sinead had thought was handling everything well, took a deep breath and said in a low tone, "I'm going up to the room too."

Before Sinead could stop her, she was turning to leave, but the Ekat caught the crumpled look on her cousin's face.

Heart sinking, she watched her go, then turned to glare at Dominic.

The dancer was shrugging his shoulders, "Guess we'll have to send them a text with our plans or something. Now who's up for drinks? They have a bar down by the pool, with non-alcoholic beverages as an option of course. But the snacks there are phenomenal."

Everyone chimed in their agreement and headed for the door, but Sinead lingered a bit in order fall in step beside Jonah. Once they cleared the door, she cleared her throat. "Hey _cuz_ , can I talk to you for a second?"

She didn't give him a chance to respond, but yanked him down a hall and into an empty room. The second the door closed behind them, she hissed out, "You knew about this? Why didn't you say anything?"

Jonah looked surprised—and still nonchalant, like he had _no_ idea what the big deal was. Wasn't he observant at all? She remembered how sensitive he was back when all of the cousins were together, but he somehow had missed it this time.

"Dan asked me not to. I figured he wanted to surprise everyone."

" _Or_ ," Sinead emphasized, wanting to shake him, "He was afraid that Amy would react badly, like she just did!"

Her boyfriend scratched his neck and avoided her eyes. "Uh, that crossed my mind. But I blew it off and honestly forgot that they were coming."

"You _forgot?!_ And how in the world could you be so _naive_ to think that-"

His brown eyes suddenly met hers, and a small grin formed on his face, "Your presence is distracting me babe, what can I say?"

Sinead crossed her arms, trying to stay annoyed, and trying to remember what she had been about to say. But it was hard when he looked at her like that…

He stepped closer, but she breathed a heavy sigh and moved back. "Look, I'm going to find Amy and make sure she's okay. You go up to the pool, find Dominic, and tell him to stop being a jerk. It was obvious that he knows something has happened between Amy and Ian, so he needs to stop making things worse with his vacuous commentary."

When she looked up, Jonah was pouting. Fighting the urge to tell him that this was partly his fault, she glanced around the room for cameras but didn't see any. All clear.

Sinead quickly closed the distance between them and kissed him lightly, then muttered as she pulled back, "At least tell him to tone it down, please?"

"Yeah, okay," Jonah was swift to agree. "I will."

Sinead was a little surprised that he agreed so quickly, and made a mental note that her kissing him _might_ have had something to do with it.

 _I'll have to remember that. Not that I would use it to my advantage, but if it's a desperate situation…_

Kissing him again—this time on the corner of his mouth—she turned to leave, but another thought hit her and she glanced back at Jonah.

"Actually, tell him _I_ said to tone it down. Or I'll make him regret it."

Her boyfriend didn't answer, but his grin widened, and Sinead had the feeling the message would definitely be passed along.

—

Historical facts. Interesting details of the doctors, researchers, scientist, authors, and artists who painted those facts. _That_ is what Amy threw herself in, when she was at a loss of what to do, how to feel—or in this case, both.

 _Ian is here. Ian Kabra, the person who I've been trying to_ _ **forget**_ _for the past few days, is here. Not to mention, Dominic just flirted with me in front of him, and I flirted back._

She stared at Sinead's laptop screen, trying to drive her thoughts away from the scene. But it was hard. Ian had looked hurt when she had answered Dominic the way she had, and it bothered her, though it shouldn't have. He had a girlfriend, and if he wanted to date Amy, he would have broken up with the model a long time ago.

 _It's not fair that his presence is making me feel this way. I have every right to flirt with or date whoever I want to._

"Amy?"

She started violently, and looked up to see Sinead standing there.

"I didn't even hear you come in," she said absentmindedly.

"You did seem a bit zoned out," her cousin said, her tone light.

Amy didn't respond as the Ekat sat on the bed, and the other girl didn't comment further. Instead, she asked her what she was looking at.

"Peggy Whitson. Did you know that she was the first female to command the International Space Station?"

"Yes. I read an article about her last year."

"Oh."

They both lapsed into silence, though Amy could feel Sinead studying her. Finally, after about two minutes of this, Amy gave up. She and Sinead were as close as sisters after all, and she already knew all about her feelings for Ian. After coming back from their vacation in August, Sinead had advised her to try to forget about the British boy.

" _Look, I know you have feelings for him Amy, and it's hard, but I think you should try to move on. Honestly, I wish that he would just break up with his girlfriend and date you. I think you two would be cute together, and you would balance each other out. But it's not right for him to have you on this up and down roller-coaster ride and I hate seeing you this miserable."_

" _You and Jonah had your share of issues too," Amy reminded her, but her cousin scowled._

" _That was different. Neither of us was in a relationship already, and we didn't have history. Besides, you know I like Ian as a person, so this isn't against him personally. I just don't want to see you get hurt by him again."_

Amy knew she was right, and it _was_ hard, but she had tried to take her advice. Now though, with Ian popping up _here_ , she had no idea how to handle this, especially with her conflicting feelings for Dominic.

"Look, I'm not sure what to do Sinead."

Her cousin looked sympathetic, but motioned for her to keep talking.

"Ian seemed so upset down there, and it made me feel guilty, so now I'm mad at myself for letting him affect me that way. He has a girlfriend, so what I do is none of his business!"

Sinead's eyebrows shot up at Amy's angry tone, but she nodded. "I totally agree with you. I would suggest ignoring him again, but"—she let out an exasperated breath before continuing—"it's not possible in this case without things being awkward, especially with this many people around that have no clue of your history. And unless you want them to know or try to find out…"

 _This_ is why she trusted Sinead so much, Amy mused. Her cousin always put a lot of thought into other people's problems and helped lay things out for them. It was a quality she depended on.

"That's not all though," she started, then stopped, not knowing how to explain.

"Dominic? I've noticed a spark between you two."

Amy flushed, wondering if it was that obvious, or if Sinead just knew her too well. "Yeah. But he's a total player. I know he's Jonah's best friend and sometimes has moments where he is nice, but the way he talks about girls…"

"I know." Sinead rolled her eyes. "I just pulled Jonah to the side and told him to set him straight. Hopefully he will tone it down, though I think he's mostly talk from what I've seen."

"You don't think he's a complete womanizer like he acts?" Amy asked, thinking again of some of his comments.

A snort brought her eyes to her cousin's green ones.

"Have you seen him with any girls this week? He's all talk, trust me. Though I'm sure he takes advantage of the opportunities of being a friend and dancer of one of the world's most famous celebrities, I can't see him willingly breaking hearts without a thought. Those girls probably know what they're getting into."

Amy blinked at her in astonishment, and Sinead must have read her surprise because she quickly added, "He's still a jerk. But I don't think he's horrible. He does need to watch his mouth though, and if Jonah passes my message along the way I said it, he will."

Allowing a slight smile to cross her face, Amy thought about asking what the message was, then decided that she didn't want to know.

"Be it as it may, I still have no idea what to do. There has been a bit of chemistry between Dominic and I, but seeing Ian again, all of _those_ feelings came rushing back. You know, the ones I told you about in August."

Sinead nodded slowly, "I can see how it's difficult. I'm sorry you're in this position. I want to bash Dan and Jonah's heads together for this."

Amy pursed her lips; she had been thinking the same thing only minutes ago. Not really about Jonah, but her brother. Dan hadn't met her eyes one time down there, and she was a little hurt that he hadn't considered how she would feel.

She also knew though how excited he was that his girlfriend was here, so she supposed she could let him off the hook. Still, she would let him know that it better not happen again.

Her gaze went back to the screen, though her mind was far away.

"Should I talk to him?"

There was a short pause, before Sinead asked, "Which one?"

"Ian. I've thought about it before. I hate being miserable over it, and honestly it's not fair that he's ruining my trip like this. If I confronted him about it…"

"It might make it worse," Sinead pointed out, but then her brow furrowed. "But at least you will feel better. And who knows, maybe he will decide to leave early or something."

Amy's heart pricked at that thought. It wasn't like she wanted Ian to _leave,_ but she did at the same time. It was so messed up. Another thought came to her, and she shifted her eyes to her auburn-haired cousin. "What do you think about Dominic? Like, you know, me and him?"

Asking the question alone brought a flush to her cheeks, but she wanted to know her cousin's opinion. Normally, when it wasn't Sinead herself dealing with emotions—like back when the Ekat was in denial about Jonah—she was on-point and good at figuring people and relationships out.

Sinead was silent for a few seconds, then she sighed. "I don't know. I'm sorry, I know you probably want a 'yes' or 'no', but…" she trailed, then continued after another short pause. "I like him as a person, though he's a brat sometimes. He's loyal to Jonah, so that's one good thing, but a relationship with someone who is like my sister? I don't know if he's good enough for you."

The direct honesty was sweet, and Amy leaned up to hug Sinead. "You're the best."

Her cousin returned the hug briefly, but pulled back and added, "I don't want to tell you what to do though. It's your life and only you really know your feelings."

Amy nodded, then pressed a hand to her head. "My head is killing me," she complained. "It was bothering me while we were shopping, but it's only gotten worse as the day has gone on."

When Sinead responded, her tone was dry, "Well, we did get bombarded by Jonah's deranged fan girls. Then with Ian showing up, Dominic flirting to make Ian jealous, then the latter responding like a baby, it's no wonder. Maybe you should lie down before the concert tonight."

It didn't sound like a bad idea.

"Maybe I will."

—

Jonah didn't know how he let Sinead talk him into these things. Yes, he cared about Amy and had even tried to help her with the 'Ian situation' before. But he had an understanding with Dominic. He didn't nose around in his love life, and his friend didn't in his either. Besides them giving each other a hard time—like his dancer had the past few days—or commenting about the attractiveness of a girl, it had held up. Now, he was going to have to tell his friend to 'back off' of his cousin.

 _I do want to look out for Amy, but it's weird being in the middle. Why didn't Sinead just drag Dominic to the side instead of me? I don't even know what the word 'vacuous'_ _ **means.**_ _Though if she hadn't of pulled me in that room, I wouldn't have gotten to kiss her…_

"Spit it out man," a voice came from the bar stool beside him.

Jonah looked over at his friend. "What?" he asked in a low voice, trying to stall for time.

"Just tell me what Sinead said when she pulled you away. I could tell she wasn't happy."

The Janus tried again, fiddling with the straw of his drink, "Maybe she wanted to make out with me?"

Dominic snorted and Jonah let out a sigh. It was a nice thought, but—he had to admit—that move would be a little far-fetched for Sinead.

"Fine," he conceded. "She told me to tell you to tone it down."

"That's all?"

Jonah paused; his dancer didn't even seem surprised.

"Uh, or else she would make you regret it? But take away my voice and add her pissed-off one."

"That's more like her. Okay."

"Okay?" Jonah gave him a sharp look. "You're backing off, just like that?"

And what did he mean by 'more like her'?

The silence that fell after he asked made him think that his friend wouldn't answer. Finally, in a serious tone that Dominic rarely used, he said, "I don't want to. I know I'm a jerk sometimes, but I'm genuinely interested in your cousin. I do feel sort of bad though about what I said down there with that other guy there. I wasn't trying to hurt her."

Jonah was too stunned to answer, and after a minute, Dominic laughed. "Yep. I have my moments. But it's okay; there are other fish in the sea."

The smile didn't quite meet his eyes when he made the joke, but Jonah let it slide. He was relieved that the drama was over though.

 _That had to be the worst of it. With Dominic backing off, Amy and Ian can either ignore each other or work it out. Simple stuff._

What he was trying to ignore though, as he turned back to resume conversation with everyone else, was the mental image of Sinead rolling her eyes at him while saying, _'you're so naive'._

—

Jonah was getting ready for his show when his phone rang. Normally he would ignore it, but he saw that it was his girlfriend so he hastily answered.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Hey Jonah."

Right away, her tone sounded apologetic. Uh-oh. Hopefully she hadn't maimed his main dancer. Though he could manage without him, he really depended on Zane and Dominic for one of his songs.

"Uh," Sinead went on, and he braced himself for the worst, wondering how he was going to explain things to his dad if something _had_ gone down. "Amy's been throwing up for the past fifteen minutes."

"Amy? It's not the flu or anything, is it?"

"I don't think so. She had a headache, but it turned into a migraine, and a bad one at that, apparently."

"Aww man that sucks," he responded, feeling a pang of guilt. It may be a coincidence, but it might have also been caused by everything that happened this afternoon.

"Yeah. Anyways, I was going to stay with her tonight instead of going to the show, but I didn't want you to get upset."

Jonah couldn't help the disappointment that hit him at her words, but he shrugged it off. "Of course I'm not upset baby, she needs someone."

"She insisted that I go ahead and go to the concert with everyone else, but I can't leave her alone. Natalie volunteered also, but she just got here and with the stuff with Ian"—a sigh could be heard—"well, I thought it should be me."

"Hey, it's okay Sinead. Don't feel bad about not going for my sake. Stay and make sure Amy gets better."

Her voice was soft when she replied, "Thanks Jonah. And good luck tonight. I know you'll rock it out."

He was going to answer but she let out a laugh and added, "I guess 'rock' isn't the correct term…"

"It works," he grinned, even though she couldn't see him. "Thanks for the confidence."

They hung up, and Jonah finished getting ready, turning his focus to his show. Though he was still bummed that Sinead wouldn't be in the audience, his fans still deserved the best. And he definitely would deliver just that.

—

"Isn't it great?" Dan asked, and watched as Natalie looked around the VIP balcony, wrinkling her nose.

Though they were at a completely different venue for this concert, the setup was basically the same.

"I wouldn't call it 'great'," she responded, lowering herself into a seat delicately, like she was afraid to touch anything. "But it will have to do I guess."

"At least the seats are padded," Ian added.

Dan looked over at him, but the boy was frowning out over the banister, standing and watching the empty stage. He decided to leave that one alone, and turned his attention back to his girlfriend.

"Daniel," her voice was soft as she leaned over, and he wasn't sure if her using his full name was a good thing or not. "Have you talked to your sister?" she continued.

"Yeah," he said, then amended, "Well, I sent her a text to tell her sorry for not telling her you two were coming. Then I told her to get better soon."

"Good. I felt rather awful myself about the whole thing. My brother is an idiot for upsetting her earlier."

Dan agreed, but tried to think of how to turn the conversation to something else. While he felt guilty, he was sure that Amy would accept his apology. Besides, she needed to work it out herself. He wasn't sure if he would rather her tell Ian or Dominic off, but she should do something about it.

 _If_ _ **I**_ _had just rolled over or ignored things, Natalie and I may have never gotten together._

His mind went back to how it had all happened, and a smile drifted on his lips without him realizing it. Natalie of course, noticed.

"What's amusing about this situation?"

Throwing her a quick glance, he stated, "Nothing. I was thinking about something else."

"The show?" She let out a long-suffering sigh. "It figures."

It annoyed Dan when Natalie acted snobby, but it _really_ annoyed him when she combined it with talking to him like he was a little kid.

Before he could stop it, he said, "I was _actually_ thinking about how we got together."

She didn't say anything for a moment, but when she did speak, all she said was, "Oh."

Dan sneaked a look over, catching her smile, though her face was on the stage now.

Without saying a word, he reached over and took her hand, loving how she squeezed it in return.

 _She might act snobby still sometimes, but she definitely doesn't as often now. And somehow, she drops the act around me. I kind of like it._

"I'm so glad you're here," he muttered, not caring if she thought him sappy or not.

But her answer was, "Me too."

Then she leaned over and kissed him—something a little unusual for her to do with people around—making him almost forget that her brother was right there.

A few seconds later though, after Dan had looped his arm around her shoulders and was kissing her back, he could hear Ian sighing loudly. He ignored him, but only for a few more seconds.

"Your brother is seriously annoying," he whispered against Natalie's lips, and she giggled softly.

"He is. But his sighing has a point; we're surrounded by thousands of people."

"They can't see us," Dan retorted, unwilling to draw back. Instead, he kissed her again, and felt smug when she returned it. But it was only for a second, and then she was pulling away again.

"I believe the show is about to start," she said, turning and primly folding her hands in her lap.

Rolling his eyes, he put his arm around her chair, brushing his fingers over her shoulder. She didn't react besides a small smirk, but he let it slide.

"Keep an open mind," he advised her, "And you'll enjoy this. Who knows? You might actually dance along."

Natalie let out a graceful snort—a combination that had always impressed Dan—but he secretly placed a bet that she wouldn't be able to help herself.

—

 **So that wasn't too much of a cliff-hanger right? (At least not as bad as the last chapter) ;)**

 **I already have the plot pretty much written/figured out, but as always, I appreciate the feedback and take suggestions! You guys have been giving me some good ideas lately! :D**


	10. Chapter 10

—

"I'm sorry Sinead," her cousin said apologetically, but Sinead brushed it off.

"You've already said that enough. Don't worry about it."

Sinead looked out of the window of the car, adding, "At least we're on our way now."

The 'on our way' she was referring to was the location where Jonah's video shoot for a campaign—through an organization called "Do Something"—would take place. He told her about it weeks ago, and was really excited to be raising awareness for bullying and encouraging young people to stand up for themselves and for each other. Sinead had to admit that she was proud of him and couldn't wait to see the video. He was teaming up with another celebrity named Monica and was hoping that his fans would get on board.

 _I guess the younger Cahill generation_ _ **is**_ _changing, or at least trying to. Instead of killing each other over trying to gain power, some of us are trying to create some good._

She thought again of her brothers and the cure she was trying to find. It was ultimately for them, but when she found it, she wasn't planning on keeping it in. Other people would be able to be helped, and that motivated her even more.

"But still, you shouldn't have stayed with me, _again,_ " Amy said, bringing Sinead back to the present.

"I wasn't going to leave you in the room when you were throwing up like that. Not last night, _or_ this morning. I'm glad you're better now though."

Amy had claimed to feel better upon waking up, but had once again gotten sick, right as they were all about to leave. She said it was a fluke, but wanted to wait a couple of hours before joining everyone else at the video shoot, just to make sure. She had tried to convince Sinead to go on ahead with everyone else, but Sinead knew that Amy would be more comfortable if she stayed. Besides, Jonah would be really busy today so it wasn't like they could hang out.

They arrived at the building they were using to shoot the video, and Sinead was surprised at how 'normal' it looked.

Amy must have been sharing her thoughts because she commented, "I guess not everything Jonah does is super-fancy. This looks like an office complex or something."

Sinead nodded her agreement and they headed in, instantly routed to the room where the shoot was taking place by one of the security staff members.

The first thing she felt was out of place. There were tons of people scrambling around, and she didn't see anyone she recognized at all. Finally, after scanning over lighting crew members, make-up and fashion consultants, and a lot of technical-looking people, she spotted Broderick in the corner.

"Oh there's Jonah," Amy said.

Sinead followed the direction of Amy's gaze to see Jonah and a slim, pretty girl walking in through a side door. She recognized her immediately as Monica Fabian and had to fight against the urge to start comparing herself to the female celebrity.

The girl was Latina, with a really nice figure and beautiful eyes. Sure, the bright blue was probably colored contacts, but who cared about that in Hollywood?

 _It's stupid to be jealous. You and Jonah have already talked about this. And you trust him._

But still, Monica was turning a lot of heads already simply from walking in the doorway. Her dress was modest, but enough perfectly bronzed skin was peeking out in just the right places, leaving Sinead feeling sloppy in her jeans and sky-blue tunic.

The auburn-haired Ekat had felt the outfit appropriate a few hours ago, but now wished that she was a little more daring when it came to clothing. Though she loved fashion, she wasn't always comfortable displaying her arms in public so she wore long-sleeve shirts constantly.

Forcing her head away as Jonah and Monica joined Broderick and starting talking, she studied the room further.

There wasn't much to it: White walls, white ceiling, and a lot of cameras facing a grey backdrop along the back wall. Sinead spotted Dominic and Elise though, relaxing when Elise caught her glance and sent her a little wave.

A thought came to her then. "Where's Dan? And the Kabras?"

"Dan and Natalie are right there." Amy motioned towards the backdrop, where a blonde-haired jacket clad figure and the petite figure of Natalie stood, facing the dancers. "And who knows where Ian is."

She said it flippantly, and Sinead wisely didn't remark. Instead, her attention went back to Dan.

"Where did the jacket come from?" Sinead asked, bemused. It looked like something Jonah would wear.

"I think Jonah helped him pick it out." Amy's voice was dry when she said it but when Sinead looked at her she caught her cousin's smile.

She returned the look, glad that Amy didn't seem to be upset anymore and then her gaze involuntarily went back to Monica, who was now tilting her head at Jonah and grinning at something he said, her eyes sparkling with humor. Whatever he said after that must have been _hilarious_ because she laughed fully now, Jonah joining her.

 _He hasn't even noticed me yet. He didn't even look around for me when he came into the room._

It was probably childish, but the thought sent irritation through her. She wanted to go over there and tell Monica Fabian to back off. Even though the girl was only laughing, Sinead saw how close she kept getting to _her_ boyfriend.

 _This is so stupid Sinead. Get a grip on yourself. Your relationship isn't even public so Monica thinks he's single. Besides, this is probably for the best since you don't want to raise suspicions._

So she turned her gaze back to the set, trying to play it off like she was studying the crew that was fixing camera angles around the backdrop. She did this for about two minutes and then darted her gaze to the corner again. Still no reaction from Jonah.

Sinead hated feeling like this, like she was desperate for his attention, _especially_ when he had just told her yesterday that he was falling in love with her. Not to mention, the talk they had before that. But it was rather annoying how he was so wrapped up that he hadn't even noticed her standing there yet.

Amy must have noticed because she cleared her throat. When Sinead looked over, her cousin shot her a half-smile. "What do you want to do? It looks like Jonah will be busy for a little bit."

Sinead shrugged, then shivered. "It's freezing back here," she complained, shooting another look around the room.

People were still milling about, cameramen, more designers, dance crew members, but Jonah was still standing in the same place, talking to Monica, his dad, and some other guy that Sinead hadn't met yet.

"It's stupid of me to feel jealous isn't it?" she asked Amy in a low voice. "But I still am. Ugh, I hate it!"

Her jade-eyed cousin shot her a sympathetic look. "It's understandable, you're human. Even though you know it's just his job. He's ecstatic that you're here."

Sinead nodded, knowing Amy was right. Then, as she glanced around again, something over on the chair caught her eye.

"Hey is that Jonah's jacket?"

Without waiting for a response, she went over and picked it up. The black leather was cool to the touch but the inside panel was warm, like someone had just been wearing it.

"Looks like it." Amy looked over at Jonah, who was wearing a green script hoodie for the scene.

"It is his, look at the inside." Sinead pointed to the label that read 'Wizard'. "Good, I'm wearing it."

As she lifted it up she noticed something else underneath it, a black and yellow batman snapback.

"I actually like this." Sinead admired the hat, loving how the brim was a black and yellow zebra-pattern instead of a solid color. Normally she wasn't into things like that, the preppy style appealing to her more, but it was kind of cool.

She put it on too, then turned to her cousin. "How do I look?"

Amy laughed. "Comfortable. Jonah's sure to notice you now."

Sinead furrowed her brows, not catching the meaning, but she followed Amy to the edge of the set, joining Dan and Natalie as Jonah took his place in front of his team of dancers.

"Alright guys!" the director was saying. "We're going to do all of the dancing scenes now. Let's start with the steps we were just going over."

Sinead normally would be soaking up all of the technical terms, but found herself instead fascinated by the dancers and their moves. It came so naturally to them. Dominic and Elise were the only ones from Jonah's team in the video, so she studied the other dancers who she didn't know.

One girl in particular in the back was impressive. Sinead was envious at the easy way she moved, so her eyes stayed on her much of the dance. It wasn't until Amy's elbow dug into her side that she turned.

"What?" she asked.

Her cousin was smirking at her. "I think Jonah just spotted you," she whispered where the other two couldn't hear, although in Sinead's opinion the younger boy was too zoned out staring at the dancers to pay attention to anything else, and Natalie was preoccupied with her nails. "Did you see him falter?"

Sinead looked over at her boyfriend, who had stopped at the director's 'cut!' and wasn't looking at her, instead leaning in to catch whatever the man was saying.

"No?" Sinead said it as a question, wondering what Amy was getting at. She didn't say anything else, but decided to keep her eye on Jonah from now on.

Jonah moved back in front of the dancers, but she saw his eyes flicker over her, like he was studying her outfit.

Feeling a little unnerved, she wrapped her arms around her middle and wondered if he had a weird pet-peeve about his jacket or something. She had never worn any of his things before, but thought that he wouldn't have minded. She hoped he didn't, because his jacket was warm and smelled amazing, like him.

 _I'm turning into one of those gushing girlfriends,_ she thought miserably. _How in the world can one item of clothing make me feel so secure like this? Pathetic._

She turned her attention back to the dance, which was going pretty well. Right at that moment the dancers turned left for a move, facing her direction, and Sinead swore Jonah was looking at her again.

He must have missed a step, because the director yelled something out and all of the dancers paused to look at him.

Jonah looked sheepish but assured everyone that he just got off-beat. Sinead noticed that Broderick was frowning at him, and wondered if maybe Jonah didn't mess up that much or something. He was still killing the dance moves, in a good way.

But he kept messing up—much to the director's dismay—and he finally stopped everyone and called a fifteen-minute break. He glanced at her and Sinead thought that he was going to head her way but Broderick stepped in her view and talked to him for a minute.

Jonah looked impatient, but kept nodding at whatever his dad was saying. Finally, he broke free from him and jogged over to where they were standing, stopping in front of Sinead.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?"

Without even pausing for a reply, he took her elbow and guided her to a door.

He didn't stop though when they entered, hauling her even further down the short hallway into a small room that only held a few chairs.

"What's going on?" Sinead asked him, starting to feel really weirded out by his behavior. In a brief talk with him that morning he had been his normal laid-back self. "Are you okay?"

"No," he stated, then turned and looked down at her, eyes unreadable. "Why are you wearing my stuff?"

He sounded irritated, and she rubbed the sleeves of the jacket self-consciously, but answered, "I was freezing in there, and didn't think you would mind," she answered, frustration leaking into her voice too. "What's the big deal?"

Jonah let out an unsteady laugh. "You pop up by the dance floor wearing my clothes and you're asking what the big deal is?"

She frowned in confusion. "This is your jacket, not your clothes, I don't under—"

But she was cut off by his mouth, which was hot on hers. Dumbfounded, she didn't respond at first, but then he thrust his tongue between her lips and she moaned, instantly responding.

She felt the snapback fall off her head as he held her face and continued kissing her like that. But she barely registered it, shock and passion intermingling in her brain. Even though they had exchanged plenty of intense kisses before, she never remembered any like these. Then a memory tugged at her mind, a kiss from their last day in Bora Bora, right before he had said ' _I definitely want you'_ and her heart dropped. It was the same kind of intensity.

Finally pulling back, he met her eyes. His were black, heated. "Do you get it now?"

"No." Sinead stared back at him, inhaling deeply.

She waited for an explanation, but Jonah just moved his head and murmured right by her ear, "You're so innocent sometimes. It makes it so much harder."

Then his lips were on her jaw, moving down and leaving a trail of heat on her skin. She whimpered, and he bit down softly on her collarbone, pushing back the jacket to reach it.

"Jonah," she breathed. "We can't do this now."

"Why?" came his muffled reply.

She struggled to think as he continued nibbling on her skin.

 _Dance_ , was all her brain managed to spit out, but it was enough.

"Your dance Jonah. Your video." Sinead finally found her voice, pushing him back gently. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but he _was_ right in the middle of a video shoot.

He made a face, but she saw realization hit him and he took a full step back from her.

"Oh yeah, one of the reasons I brought you in here," he said.

She didn't reply, still not knowing what was going on. Her heart was racing though and her skin burned where his lips had been.

"I guess I'm just going to have to spell it out for you." He sighed, looking at the ceiling. "You look really sexy in my get-up, and it was throwing me off in there."

Sinead blinked, surprise numbing her, and she gaped at him as he lowered his eyes from the ceiling to hers.

He laughed at her expression. "My girlfriend. The genius when it comes to everything but how much she turns her boyfriend on."

Flushing at his word choice, she looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Hey it's not your fault, and not really something to apologize for. Except that it's really distracting me."

She looked up at him, her words coming out in a rush, "I'll just hang out in your dressing room or something until you're done."

Really, she was trying to cover up her embarrassment, but she couldn't help but feel pleasure at his words _or_ help the smirk from spreading on her face.

"Great, now ya know one of my weaknesses," Jonah groaned, apparently picking up on her thoughts.

Her smirk turned into a grin. "Hey, it's only fair since you know one of mine."

He rolled his eyes but reached down and picked up his snapback, handing it to her.

"Here," he said. "And I'm sorry too, I feel like I'm kicking ya out or something. You could come back, just duck down in a corner somewhere for my sanity."

She laughed, but assured him that she would be fine and would call her brothers or something to catch up with them. Not that she didn't want to watch the rest of the video shoot, but her heart was still beating fast, and (though she would never admit it—to him or anyone else) she was _still_ thrown off by the way he had kissed her.

He led her down the hallway and into another room, barely touching her except to lightly push her in.

As he turned to leave she remembered something he said and called out, "Wait, what was the other reason for bringing me out here? Besides to tell me that I was distracting you?"

At his 'you've got to be kidding me look', she realized, _he was_ _ **planning**_ _to kiss me. That wasn't impulsive._

"Um, never mind."

She didn't want him to see her blush, _again,_ so she turned away, reaching into her pocket for her phone.

When she looked back he had gone, and she breathed a sigh of relief, practically sinking into a chair.

 _What a morning._

—

Amy wanted to _murder_ Jonah.

The second he and Sinead left, Dan and Natalie had stepped out too, though Amy had tried frantically to catch one of their eyes. Then, she turned to Elise, the only other person she knew in the room (beside Broderick, who was busy, and the two people she would rather not talk to). But the girl was pulling out her phone to make a call, and Amy didn't want to appear too needy by interrupting her.

Without warning, Dominic came in her line of vision, but to her astonishment, he only shot her a brief smile and turned back to the person he was talking to. Amy felt relief and something else she couldn't place, but it didn't last long. Ian—who had popped up only seconds before Jonah halted the shoot—suddenly looked over and met her eyes.

Startled, she quickly looked down at her phone, her mind frantically trying to come up with something to distract him from coming over. But when she chanced a peek up, his amber eyes were already looking back at the congregated dancers, who were all quietly talking now.

Gulping, Amy made a show of checking her phone, frowning at it, then scurried towards the door. Maybe it was the coward's way out, but she couldn't find it in herself to care.

Finally, she made it through the maze of rooms and was filling her lungs with fresh air. It was hot outside, the sun already high in the sky, so she searched for a shady spot. It took her a minute, but once she rounded the side of the building, she found a small bench to the side of the pathway, trees positioned around it and conveniently blocking the blazing sun. Amy sat down and looked around without really taking in any details. All she knew though, was that this 'vacation' was turning into _anything_ but the escape she had thought it would be.

 _I just wanted to have fun and to get my mind off of Ian, Madrigal training, the Vespers, and life in general. Was that too much to ask?_

"Hey, is everything okay?"

She jumped violently at the voice that came from the path, though she immediately recognized its source.

Glancing up into the blue, concerned eyes of Dominic, she put a hand over her chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack!" she exclaimed.

Instead of making a flirty comment like she expected, he grimaced. "I didn't mean to scare you. Can I sit?"

Not knowing how to politely say 'no' and 'please leave me alone', she shrugged and mumbled, "I guess."

He did so, and an uneasy silence descended over them. Amy started wringing her hands while trying to decide if she should even say anything.

 _I'm probably coming across as rude right now. But I didn't ask him to come out here, and I really just want to be alone so I can have a pity party._

"Look, I'm sorry Amy."

The words seemed to come out of nowhere, and they were so unexpected that it took a second for her to process them.

"You're sorry?" she repeated dumbly. "For what?"

"For upsetting you yesterday. I hope that wasn't why you were sick."

 _Oh. He means when the Kabra's arrived._

She laughed hollowly, still not looking at him, pretending to be interested in a blooming Magnolia Tree that was positioned directly in front of them.

"It's fine."

It wasn't really, but Amy found herself more annoyed at Ian and Dan for all of that. Dominic shouldn't have said the things he did, but it wasn't like he _knew_ the history there. Thinking of that now, she lifted her gaze to his. His eyes were studying her, while also displaying the apology he had just spoken.

Licking her lips, she added softly, "Forget about it. I shouldn't let things get to me I guess."

His brow furrowed, and she spotted concern again. It made her heart beat faster, seeing that emotion and knowing that it was for _her._

"Is it anything I can help with?"

Amy looked at him more closely, looking for signs of flirtation or insincerity. She saw none but still felt guarded.

 _He probably asks all of the girls that question. You can't trust him Amy. At least not until he proves that he's trustworthy._

"No."

The word lingered around them, making the air feel thicker. Amy hadn't voiced it in a rude tone, but it must had been firm enough to get her point across, because she heard Dominic stand to his feet.

"Well, you know where to find me."

She glanced up, wondering if her word had scared him off, but he was looking at his phone. Catching her gaze, he smiled. "Broderick just texted me. Jonah's back and they're about to start back up."

"Okay," she said, then hesitated, feeling like she should say more. "Thanks for checking on me."

Meeting his eyes so he would know she was sincere, her body froze when she saw the soft look on his face.

"Anytime Amy Cahill."

And then he turned, leaving her there, wondering _why_ her heart lurched when he said her name like that.

' _Amy Cahill.'_

He had said it only once before, yesterday morning at breakfast. This time though, he hadn't said her name in a flirtatious way. Instead, the warmth in his tone had nearly taken her breath away and had her heart melting at the same time.

 _It's just my name that he said, nothing more than that._

Standing to her feet in an attempt to shake off the 'giddy' feeling trying to envelope her, Amy told herself that she was being ridiculous. Jonah's dancer wasn't exactly dating material, and she didn't need to get her emotions all involved over him. Still, she couldn't help but be glad Dominic came out here. Maybe he would give her some space now.

 _Now I just have to figure out what to do about Ian._

Really, even though she had told Sinead she was considering talking to him, Amy was actually leaning more towards ignoring him. There was only tomorrow left, and then they would be flying back home. If she could simply wait it out…

Ian's figure suddenly came into view, causing her—for the second time in five minutes—to nearly have a heart attack.

She let out a gasp, and he halted at the sound, his gaze flying up to meet hers. It was then Amy noticed that he was on the phone, which was good. Her mouth felt frozen, and she doubted she would have even been able to greet him normally.

"Uh," she heard him say. "Yeah, that sounds fine."

A pause, then, "No, I'm not upset. Look, I'll call you later Salina."

 _Salina._

The mental image of a beautiful French model came to Amy's mind, and her lips tightened. Salina Couture, Ian's girlfriend, was _gorgeous._ Of course, a lot of it was probably touch-up, and what did it matter anyways?

Amy had two options. One was to leave now while Ian was still on the phone. It would be running, but would probably be the safest course of action—and would go right along with the 'ignoring him' plan. The second option was to stay right here and confront the Lucian. Scenes from Beverly Hills and Bora Bora flitted through her mind, making her angrier and sealing her choice. Back in August, Ian had played games with her too, it seemed, one moment pretending like she didn't exist and the next acting all sweet. She would be damned if she let it happen again. It already had, with him acting jealous of her and Dominic—though he had no reason to be.

Nearly steaming, she crossed her arms and waited for Ian to hang up. He did so, not looking at her until she cleared her throat.

"Um, hello Amy. How are you? Feeling any better?"

"I'm perfectly _fine_ Ian."

He winced, and she almost felt guilty. _Almost._

"We need to talk."

Wordlessly, Ian met her eyes. His were guarded, yet apologetic. "Amy, if this is about yesterday when Natalie and I arrived, I'm sorry—"

"You're _sorry_?" she snapped. "For what? Acting like a jealous boyfriend when you have a girlfriend and have had one for months?"

The Cahill hadn't meant to get right to the point like that, but maybe it was for the best. Ian stepped back, his eyes wide, but she wasn't finished.

"I'm tired of playing games. One minute I think we can be friends, the next moment you're being all romantic and it makes me think you want more, and then the next you're ignoring me. How do you think that makes me feel"—she felt tears coming on, but tried to fight through them—"when I have _feelings_ for you and then you treat me like that? Like I don't matter?"

Now his mouth dropped open and his eyes bugged out. If Amy hadn't of been so angry, she would have laughed over him losing his usual poised look.

"Don't look so shocked. You and I both know what's going on here. I have feelings for you, and I think you do for me too, only you're too much of a _coward_ to do anything about it. Or maybe you're still clinging to the idea that I'm not _good_ enough for you. Or is this a senseless Cahill rivalry thing?"

She stopped then, barely able to believe everything that had just spilled from her mouth. But she waited, wanting to see if he would speak, to affirm or try to deny the truth of the words that were now hanging in the air.

"I-I", Ian stammered, then it was like a switch flipped and he straightened suddenly, his face going blank. "Amy, look, you seem a little stressed out—"

"Stressed out?!"

Staring at him, she fought against the hurt that his words channeled through her. So he didn't even care enough about her to acknowledge the honesty of her words. She looked away, gritting her teeth as Ian went back to fumbling.

"No, Amy, I didn't mean…" But he trailed the words off, silence taking over again, and suddenly Amy felt overwhelmed with it all.

The tears came back, and this time, she let them fall down her face. But a strength came over her too, in spite of the emotions, and she lifted her eyes back to Ian, not caring if he saw her tears.

She thought she may have seen a dash of pain on his features, but if so, it fled quickly as he stared back at her, his face appearing to be carved from stone.

"If you want to pretend Ian, that's fine with me. Do what you want. But just now I was more transparent than I've ever been, and I don't regret it. Go ahead though and go back to your perfect Lucian life, your perfect clothes, perfect money, and your perfect girlfriend. I hope you can be happy living a _lie._ "

With that she walked past him, and he didn't stop her. Amy hadn't been expected it though. As she walked back in, scrubbing at her face and looking for a restroom to pull herself together, she was surprised at how peaceful she felt on the inside.

 _It's still a mess, but Ian knows how I feel. Better yet, he knows that I'm not taking his crap anymore. If he wants me, it's going to be up to_ _ **him**_ _now to figure out how to make that happen._

—

Ian didn't know how long he stood there, didn't even know how long he had been sweating, until he felt drops of it running down his face.

 _Disgusting._

Still, he moved slowly to the shade, Amy's words ringing around him.

' _You're too much of a coward to do anything about it!'_

The words stung, though he figured he deserved that. But the worst thing was the look of hurt displayed on her face almost the whole time. Even though he tried his best to act unaffected, it _killed_ him to see her tears and to know that—once again—he had been the one to cause them.

' _How do you think that makes me feel when I have feelings for you and then you treat me like that? Like I don't matter?'_

Those words had been hard to hear too, and he wanted to scream back at her, _'That's not it Amy! That's not it at all, don't you get it?'_

But she wouldn't— _couldn't—_ get it, even if he had tried to explain.

Sighing, he finally sat down on a nearby bench, his thoughts in a jumble. He really didn't need this right now. Not with what had just happened in Australia...he rubbed his eyes, thinking back to the Lucian's words, as he cast a disdainful look at Ian.

" _Vikram and Isabel would have already taken care of this."_

At the meeting, surrounded by some of the most prominent and powerful Lucians who probably all were mentally agreeing with that statement, Ian wanted to throw it back in the guy's face that his _parents_ would have already killed him too, simply for questioning the branch leader's authority. But instead, he had calmly replied that killing the person in question wouldn't resolve anything and that he, the branch leader, _was_ in fact, taking care of it.

 _On one hand, I'm expected to be as ruthless as my parents were, and I almost_ _ **want**_ _to be sometimes, in order to earn the Lucian board's respect—not to mention, the branch's as a whole. I can tell that they're still trying to decide if I can really lead them. On the other hand, I agree with the Madrigals that senseless violence and murders are not the way to accomplish that._

It was a tough balance to keep, and one that Ian was really feeling the weight of. Then, on top of it, he was expected to maintain the 'power' facade, even in his personal life. That included what he did, where he went, what he wore, and who he dated.

And the dating thing...well, _that_ was a predicament too.

Ian sincerely liked his girlfriend. For a model, she wasn't too fake (personality-wise), and wasn't brainless like models were sometimes portrayed to be. But he _was_ using her, and he knew it. He wasn't in love with her, not even close.

Guilt pierced through him at the thought, especially coupled with Amy's accusation that he was 'living a lie'.

 _You're right Amy. I am. But not for the reasons you believe it to be. It's not because I_ _ **think**_ _I have to have everything perfect, but because I'm_ _ **expected**_ _to. If I don't, everything I've worked for will fall apart. Then I really will be left with nothing._

When he looked at it that way, he really didn't have a choice.

—

 **Yeah…..I went kind of deep there. *Sigh* but I can't be too hard on Ian for the whole 'Amy' thing, not when he probably has all kinds of deep-rooted issues that stems from being raised by his awful parents. Side note that has nothing to do with the story: THIS stuff is why I like the 39 Clues so much...this series has so many characters that seem shallow, then when you dive into their lives you find** _ **real**_ **issues and situations. Irina, Alistair, Amy & Dan, Jonah, Natalie & Ian, etc., all have issues caused by relatives/parents that put power above family, and that's what makes their characters so complex and interesting to me. Anyways, if you just read all of that, kudos to you! Haha! **

**Also, just out of curiosity...team Dominic or Ian? I'm not telling you all what team** _ **I'm**_ **on though...but you can try to guess ;)**


	11. Chapter 10 Bonus - Jonah's POV

**Okay, so I wasn't sure if I was going to post this, but I couldn't help it! This was the first scene EVER that I wrote in Jonah's POV (that tells you how long ago I wrote this, I wasn't even done writing my first fic!) so it's a little special to me :)**

 **As a bonus, here it is! Oh and I'm working diligently on the next chapter. It should be ready in a few days!**

 **Warning: 19-year old male's thoughts ahead…. ;)**

—

She made it so hard to focus.

He stole another peek at her, standing there nonchalantly in his jacket and hat, like she had no idea of her effect on him.

"Hey it's off again," Cameron called out, causing the dance to come to a halt, _again_.

Jonah shot him a frustrated look, then an apologetic one at the dancers, most of who were looking at him in puzzlement.

Dominic seemed to be onto him though, glancing over at Sinead and then back at Jonah, one eyebrow raised. Jonah gave him a look that he hoped said 'leave it man', then said to the entire group.

"Sorry guys. My fault again. Let's take a fifteen minute break, I need to go clear my head for a sec."

 _Or_ go kiss Sinead senseless, then ask her what in the heck she was doing. He looked at her now, wearing the same baffled look as everyone else, and started her way.

His dad stepped in his path though, deterring his plan for the moment.

"What's wrong?" he demanded. "I've never seen you distracted like this."

"It's nothin' dad. I'll handle it."

The last thing Jonah wanted to do was confess to his father that it was his _girlfriend_ who was throwing him off so bad. He was used to having the upper-hand when it came to girls and dating, but with Sinead everything was different.

His dad was saying something else, but Jonah cut him off, "Excuse me."

He walked around him, keeping his eyes glued to Sinead, who was still standing there, this time staring back at him with a frown on her face.

He didn't waste any time, going right up to her and ignoring the other three, who were giving him weird looks.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?"

If she said anything in response he didn't hear it; he was already propelling her to the door, trying to shut out images of her in some of his other clothes (like only a t-shirt) from his mind.

Finally, he led her to the room that he and his crew had held a short meeting in that morning. It was somewhere empty and quiet—and somewhere where they wouldn't be disturbed.

"What's going on, are you okay?" she asked him, confusion in her voice.

"No," he stated, turning around to meet her green eyes. "Why are you wearing my stuff?"

He tried to keep his voice even but didn't think he managed, because Sinead immediately started rubbing her arms, a habit or hers when she was unsure about something.

"I was freezing in there and didn't think you would mind." He could hear the slight anger in her voice as she added, "What's the big deal?"

He laughed in disbelief, was she for real?

"You pop up by the dance floor wearing my clothes and you're asking what the big deal is?"

He saw her frown again, biting her lip, and he couldn't resist anymore. All self-control be damned.

"This is your jacket, not your clothes, I don't under—" she started to say, but his lips were already on hers.

She tasted good. That was the first thought that came to his mind. Normally he would build up the kisses slowly (especially with her inexperience, not wanting to freak her out), but all reasoning had been thrown out the window with that lip bite. So he didn't waste any time now, opening up her mouth with his tongue to taste her even more.

Sinead had been frozen up to that point—probably in shock—but as soon as he made that move she moaned into his mouth, making all thoughts but _her_ flee from his mind.

He moved his hands up to the back of her head, holding her there gently even as he continued with the passionate kisses.

 _You need to stop. While you still can._

But Sinead wasn't making it easy for him, responding like she was and pressing her chest up against his. He doubted she was even aware of what she was doing given her shyness a couple of days ago, so he made himself pull away, willing his mind to not go anyplace further than it already had in the last fifteen minutes.

Jonah loved the way her eyes looked when she raised them to meet his, hazy from passion and dark green. He loved how it was _him_ who could make her feel this way.

"Do you get it now?" he asked, his voice husky.

"No."

She was still staring at him, but the questioning look returned to her face.

He shook his head, muttering in her ear, not wanting to admit it just yet, "You're so innocent sometimes. It makes it so much harder."

The skin under her ear was soft, and he found his lips moving to her jaw, kissing her there.

 _Her skin is so soft. And it smells so good._

He moved his mouth over it, drinking it in, and Sinead let out a whimper.

Well dang it.

He was off-focus again, intent on her collarbone when her voice came out, all breathy, "Jonah, we can't do this now."

"Why?" he asked. Now seemed like a perfect time to him.

He continued biting her skin gently, marveling again at its softness. His girlfriend was extremely _sexy_ , and most of the time she was so oblivious to it.

"Your dance Jonah. Your music video."

 _The video,_ the thought came crashing down on him. _My dancers. My dad. Monica. The director._

Reluctantly, he forced himself away from her, trying to think of his set and how everyone would notice if he was gone too long. And they might notice Sinead was missing too. Not good.

"Oh yeah, one of the reasons I brought you in here. I guess I'm just gonna have to spell it out for you."

He let out a sigh and looked up, not wanting to look her in the eye as he admitted, "You look really sexy in my get-up, and it was throwing me off in there."

Sinead was quiet, so he lowered his eyes to see her standing there, staring at him, mouth open in disbelief.

He couldn't help but laugh at her naivety.

"My girlfriend," he said dryly, "The genius when it comes to everything but how much she turns her boyfriend on."

Instead of shooting something back like he expected, she flushed and looked down. It was adorable.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," she mumbled.

"Hey it's not your fault, and not really something to apologize for. Except that it's really distracting me."

 _You have no idea how much._

In theory it was kind of ridiculous. It was just his jacket and snapback. But trying to hide their relationship from everyone here as well as taking it slow was driving him insane, making it ten times worse.

Her eyes met his again as she said, "I'll just hang out in your dressing room or something until you're done."

Jonah studied her expression. She didn't look embarrassed anymore. Instead she looked a little too pleased with herself, a smirk growing on her face.

He groaned. "Great, now ya know one of my weaknesses."

Instead of gloating, she surprised him again by grinning and saying, "Hey, it's only fair since you know one of mine."

He rolled his eyes at her but knew that he had to get back soon. He spotted his hat on the floor and picked it up, handing it back to her.

"Here," he stated, feeling guilty about what he was about to say. "And I'm sorry too, I feel like I'm kicking ya out or something. You could come back, just duck down in a corner somewhere for my sanity."

To his relief she just laughed and told him she would be fine and would call her brothers while she waited for him.

Not trusting himself to touch her again, he guided her to the door but kept his distance until the very last second, when he lightly pressed her back as she walked in the door of his dressing room.

Her voice made him halt though, right as he was going to leave.

"Wait, what was the other reason for bringing me out here? Besides to tell me that I was distracting you?"

He blinked at her.

 _You've gotta be kidding me._

She seemed to catch on though, her eyes lighting up in realization. "Um, never mind," she said before quickly turning away.

Jonah only shook his head and left swiftly, knowing that if he didn't get back soon his dad would be hunting him down, and there were some situations that he _didn't_ want his father catching him in.

—

 **Short, but hopefully sweet… ;)**

 **Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing! Some of you I've told via PM, but a couple of you don't have accounts so I will tell you here. :)**

 **Reviews are soooooo motivating! And they help me write faster!**


	12. Chapter 11

"What did my brother do now?"

Amy didn't look over at the Kabra girl, instead keeping her eyes on Jonah, who was talking into the camera. The dance shots were over, and he and Monica were currently doing their solo scripts. Sinead was nowhere in sight. Amy was tempted to go find her, but after finding a chair near the floor she had been left alone for the past twenty minutes—the amount of time she had been here since exiting the restroom.

"What makes you think he did something?"

A graceful sigh was unleashed, but Amy still didn't glance over. The last thing she wanted to do was to have a talk with Ian's sister. Though Natalie had been great to hang out with the last time they had all been together, this was different.

"Maybe because I passed him in the hallway and he nearly bit my head off, then I come in here to find you obviously pissed-off?"

The last word was strong for the British girl, and Amy finally looked over at her. Natalie's brown eyes were sympathetic, so she relaxed but answered, "I really don't want to talk about it. And I'm fine now. I _was_ a little angry, but now I'm just ready to get out of here."

Natalie didn't reply for a few minutes, then finally (after Amy had almost forgotten that she was there) she spoke. "Well, allow me to apologize on his behalf."

Amy forced a smile. "You aren't responsible for his actions. But thank you."

Turning back to the floor, it was her turn to sigh. Only hers wasn't graceful at all, but impatient. "How long is this going to take anyways?"

"They're almost done," her brother's voice came from behind her.

Amy didn't even have the energy to be startled by his sudden presence, only replied, "Good."

"I'm sorry for all of this."

Well, that was the fourth apology she had received in the last thirty minutes. Instead of accepting it though, she merely raised an eyebrow at her brother.

He winced at her look, guilt crossing his face. "Yeah you probably don't believe me. But I really am. I should have warned you, I guess. I just thought you would be annoyed at me for inviting them."

Dan looked at Natalie then, and Amy pursed her lips together. She wasn't really _mad_ at her brother anymore, though he had handled everything like a complete idiot. But watching the two in front of her exchange a smile, she couldn't find it in her to hold it against him.

"I would have been a little apprehensive," she admitted, but looked pointedly at Dan, then Natalie. "But I wouldn't have been mad at you for inviting your _girlfriend_ to spend a few days with us. If you would have asked me, I would have agreed without hesitation."

"So you forgive me?"

"Yeah." She said the words halfheartedly, but her brother beamed at her.

"Cool."

A somewhat uneasy silence fell then, no one speaking for a few seconds, until Natalie broke it.

"So," she leaned in, her face contouring into a smirk. "What do you think Sinead and Jonah were doing in that room for ten minutes?"

Dan let out what sounded like a choke, and Amy saw Natalie trade in her smirk for a grin at his reaction.

"Something that's none of our business?" the blonde-haired boy suggested.

"Yeah, I don't even want to think about it," Amy agreed. While she thought the pairing was cute, her thoughts were parallel with Dan on this one. "Subject change?"

"Please," her brother added, his face now holding relief.

Natalie shrugged her shoulders. "Fine. But it _is_ rather curious that she hasn't come back yet."

"Maybe she didn't want to get interrogated," Dan mumbled, but then his gaze shifted. "Hey I think Jonah's done. I'm going to go talk to him."

"Chicken!" his girlfriend called out after him. Once he was out of earshot she said to Amy, "I love getting him all flustered. It's adorable, don't you think?"

"Adorable," Amy echoed, but her thoughts weren't on Dan. And that was because Dominic had caught her eye, choosing that moment to walk across the room. He wasn't paying her any attention though, and she let her shoulders slump in relief. Turning to Natalie, she quickly stated, "I'm going outside to the car."

"Alright. I suppose I should track down my brother." Natalie looked around at that statement, but Amy didn't stick around to see her find him.

—

Sinead gaped at the dress Elise was holding up, already shaking her head. "There is no way I'm wearing that!"

She, Natalie, and Amy had joined Elise and Amber five minutes ago in their hotel room, only seconds _after_ they had found out there was a party tonight with both Jonah and Monica's teams expected to attend.

When Broderick had casually mentioned it as they entered the lobby, Sinead's heart had plummeted and dread set in. She only had one appropriate outfit with her, but knowing that Monica would be there and would probably even look more amazing, Sinead didn't want to wear the demure long-sleeve knee length black dress. In fact, when Nellie had seen Sinead pack the garment, the older girl had shaken her head in disappointment at her choice. Sinead hadn't cared at the time, but when Broderick mentioned the word 'party', that scene was all she could think about.

But luckily Elise had caught the look on Sinead's face, and—after lecturing Jonah on how 'girls needed to know in advance about these things'—swept her and the other two girls upstairs.

Now, the group frowned at Sinead's response to the dress Elise wanted her to wear.

"Why not? The color would look great on you! Let's make that auburn hair and those green eyes pop!" Elise said.

Amber added, "Yeah and that's not the only thing that the dress would make pop."

The suggestiveness of her tone made Sinead want to blush, so she quickly looked back at the dress. "Exactly," she said. Then she pushed up the sleeves of her shirt, pointing to her scars with her other hand. "But that's not the only reason why."

The dancers' eyes widened a little, but neither of them looked disgusted like Sinead had thought they would. In fact, Elise was giving her a disappointed stare. "Girl, no one cares about that. I wouldn't have even noticed if you hadn't showed us."

"Plus there's makeup if it bothers you that much," Amber pointed out, throwing Sinead's arm another look. "Come on, just try it on."

"She's right," Natalie added from her reclined position in the room's only chair. "Makeup is a girl's best friend, after diamonds of course. And luckily for you, I came on this trip well equipped."

Sinead sighed and reached for the dress, walking to the other room and deciding to at least humor them. But her mind was made up. At least until she looked into the mirror that is.

The dress was a dark green, figure hugging, with a peekaboo neckline that showed entirely too much skin—or at least more than Sinead was comfortable displaying. But she had to admit that it flattered her figure, making her curves appear more than they were. It even meshed well with her skin tone, not making her legs seem too pale against the dark fabric like she initially thought they would. She actually felt kinda sexy in it.

Reluctantly, she re-entered the room, wincing as 'yes girls' and whistles flew at her.

"You guys don't get it." She gave them a glance, taking in the frowns of confusion on Elise and Amber's faces.

Amy grinned though, and Natalie smirked.

"Jonah?" the British girl asked.

"Yes," Sinead stated, hoping that she wouldn't have to explain.

But her boyfriend's dancers just exchanged puzzled looks. "What about him?" Amber asked. "He would totally love it."

"I know. And we're supposed to be keeping everything under wraps!" Sinead flushed. "What if he, you know, checks me out or says something? We're supposed to be _related._ "

Which, they kind of were, but Sinead didn't feel like getting into all of that right now. Especially with non-Cahills. That stuff just got messy.

"I'll warn him." Elise picked up her phone.

"What are you doing?!" Sinead felt alarmed. But the other girl only smiled in reply.

Groaning, Sinead put one arm over her face and counted to ten, telling herself to calm down between numbers.

"Sinead," Amy's calm voice broke in on number eight. "You look awesome. I, for one, think that you shouldn't worry about what anyone else says or thinks."

Sinead looked at her, but Amy wasn't done. "You are one of the toughest people I know and normally don't care about stuff like that. Where's the confidence I admire so much?"

Her cousin's voice wasn't mean, so Sinead didn't take offence. She thought about Amy's words and then sighed. "Okay, I'll wear it."

She turned to Elise. "Thank you. Sorry if I seem ungrateful, it's a beautiful dress."

"No, it's a _hot_ dress." Elise let out a smirk. "Hey and all I did was text Jonah and tell him that he couldn't react badly when he saw you or else. He agreed. So no worries there."

Sinead felt doubtful over Jonah's ability to hide his feelings, but didn't say anything. She had a lot of inner pep talk to do if she was going to go through with wearing it.

—

Their group became larger once the five of them met some of the other girls in the hallway, so Sinead felt a little braver as they went down together. The party was at their hotel, but was down a long hallway, almost to the opposite end of the building.

The extra time made Sinead feel relieved but anxious at the same time. Relieved because it gave her more time to prepare herself for the reaction she was sure to get wearing something like this. And anxious was how she felt when she starting _thinking_ about the reaction.

Licking her lips, she did a quick check of her makeup in a large, crystal wall mirror they were walking past. Her lavender eye shadow was light against the darker eyeliner, but she thought it looked good. So did the shade of lipstick and blush that Amber had sworn would 'flatter' her skin tone. The girl was as talented as Natalie when it came to applying makeup.

Normally Sinead would have asked the British girl to do her makeup, since she _had_ done an amazing job on it for her first date with Jonah. But Natalie had disappeared to hang out with Dan, and only came up in time to get ready. It surprised Sinead—having expected her to spend hours glamorizing herself—but she understood at the same time.

 _If mine and Jonah's relationship wasn't a secret from most everyone here, I would have been spending time with him too the last couple of hours._

All of that aside, Amber had been a miracle-worker, and now, as Sinead tried to calm her beating heart, all she had to do was to make it through the evening.

"I'm a little nervous." Amy muttered to her suddenly. "You won't ditch me right?"

Sinead shot her a look. "Of course I won't. Who would I ditch you for?"

Her cousin smiled. "He's good at stealing you away, that's all I'm saying."

 _Oh. She's talking about Jonah._

In a low voice, she answered, "I don't think he will tonight. This is a big thing for his campaign. I heard some other celebrities might even be there and some of his work friends. He'll be distracted."

Amy rolled her eyes. "That's what you thought today too before he whisked you way to wherever. You never did tell me what all of that was about."

Sinead tried to look nonchalant as she searched for a response. But she was saved as they had arrived at the huge Chinoiserie doors leading to the ballroom. Gulping, she stepped through after Amber, then grimaced as her nude-colored heels clicked against the polished tile.

Great, just what she needed, slick floors to accompany her nerves. Not wanting to look at anyone just yet, Sinead allowed her eyes to take in the decor as soon as she cleared the door.

The room was dimly lit; the only light appeared to be coming from a few crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The room wasn't overly fancy, but the tables sitting on one side were draped in fine linen tablecloths, with clusters of purple flowers and crystal dishes gracing them. Black and white seemed to be the theme, the only other color in the room the flowers.

The other half of the ballroom—the slick part where Sinead was now _very_ carefully making her way across—appeared to be the dance floor. She spied a DJ booth in the corner and wondered if a lot of the evening would be filled with dancing. Probably so, since a good portion of the crowd in attendance were dancers.

 _At least I won't have to deal with that part._ _I can just watch everyone else and not have to worry about falling on my face._

Voices filtered through her ears, and she tore her gaze away from the DJ booth to the group they were approaching. Immediately picking out Jonah and seeing that his eyes were glued to her, she snapped her gaze away and met Dan's.

"Hey Dan," she addressed him, feeling like he was the only safe person in the group.

Dominic whistled from beside the blonde-haired Cahill, and Sinead inwardly groaned, not wanting to meet his eyes but knowing that it would be rude of her to not. Although _whistling_ wasn't exactly polite either.

The dancer was grinning at her. "Looking good Sinead. Wow."

"Thanks," she mumbled, and thankfully he moved on.

"Amy, purple is your color." His eyes lingered on her more than the other girls as he moved on down the line, complimenting each girl in their party.

"I'll just say ditto to Dominic, since he's the one with all of the smooth words tonight." Jonah finally spoke up, his tone dry, but humor lighting it.

Sinead looked at him and was relieved to see that he wasn't looking at her. It gave her a chance to study him. He looked handsome and classy in his tux, and she suddenly had the urge to go over and hug him, catching admiring glances from other females surrounding them, including Monica.

The girl, who stood only a table length away, matched the decor perfectly. She was wearing purple like Amy but her dress was elegant and flowed to the floor, though it was backless and hugged her figure. The plunging neckline also drew Sinead's attention, but she willed her thoughts away. Again, she lectured herself for comparing. Didn't Jonah just prove that day—when he stole Sinead away with Monica nearby—that she was the one that he was committed to?

 _And attracted to,_ she reminded herself, as she again caught Jonah's stare in her direction. Trying to ignore it, she followed Dominic's gesture towards one of the tables.

"Jonah wanted his cousins to sit at his table," he explained. "So you're stuck with me and him for the rest of the night. My apologies in advance."

"Poor us," Amy retorted before Sinead could say anything.

Dominic just grinned at her and followed her to the table, taking a seat directly to her right. Sinead quickly sat on Amy's left, not wanting to leave her cousin's side. Amy probably would figure it was for her sake, but Sinead had selfish reasons for it too. She wanted the security of having her calm friend with her. Already Sinead felt out of place, but tried to shove it down.

As they settled in a small vibration from her lap caught her attention, and she fished in her clutch for her phone. It was a text from Jonah, and with her heart pounding, she opened it.

 _ **You don't play fair.**_

She let a small smile play on her face as she typed back: _**It's Elise's fault.**_

 _ **I'll have to thank her later. u look HOT. and beautiful of course. wow**_

Her smile grew and she glanced over at him. He was talking to the person on his right, so she quickly sent back. _**Thank you. You always know how to make me feel better. I normally don't uh, dress like this.**_

 _ **You should. seriously babe wow**_

She looked up and this time he was looking at her. His expression didn't change but she could see how dark his eyes were. Looking away before she reacted, she found Amy's gaze.

"What's up?" her cousin asked.

Sinead noted that she seemed more relaxed now, and wondered if it had anything to do with Dominic, who she had just heard tell her cousin stupid jokes. Either that or it was due to Ian's absence. Natalie had informed them that some unexpected business had come up that afternoon, and Ian had to leave to take care of it. No one had questioned it. To everyone on Jonah's tour group, Ian was an art dealer, following in his famous parent's footsteps, although the Cahill cousins knew that his 'business' was more than likely Lucian-related.

"Nothing. Just needed a distraction."

"A distraction?" Dominic leaned over, catching her eye, his normal grin in place. "Let me help by telling you again how amazing you look. I bet someone is barely keeping it together."

Sinead rolled her eyes at him but couldn't hold the smile back. "Thank you. And yeah, I'll probably be in trouble later." Her voice was casual, but really, she had no idea what would happen. "But oh well, I can handle myself."

He laughed, louder this time and the entire table looked over at him. Just as loudly, he stated "Are you sure you don't want to date me? I absolutely love you Sinead."

 _Great. Now Jonah's going to be annoyed._

If he felt anything like she did, he would already feel frustrated that they had to act like they were related, and then the fact that Dominic was making her laugh. She tried not to but couldn't help one from escaping when he said that.

"Too bad I can't say the same for you," she said snarkily, but was still grinning at him. "And I'm positive."

Yep. She could feel Jonah's frown in their direction but ignored it, thinking that it was kind of fun taunting him like this. It actually felt kind of powerful.

"Oh, I know you love me too." He waved her words off.

Another one of Jonah's dancers named Brad chimed in, "Don't worry we all know better. No one loves Dominic."

"You're just jealous because Sinead is paying more attention to me than anyone else right now," the blonde haired guy shot back.

"Touché," the other guy said, and Sinead caught his admiring glance in her direction. "She is smoking' tonight." Then he winked at her. "And I mean that in the most gentlemanly way possible."

"Um, thanks. I'm sure you did." Flustered at the attention that was placed on her as Zane chimed in his agreement, she glanced over at Jonah and saw that he was pretending to look at Brad but his eyes slid over to hers before he looked back down. The glance was brief but long enough for her to read what was in them.

Jealousy. And not the kind that had caused the fight between them yesterday. This was different. Possessiveness was mixed with frustration, like he wanted to stand up and declare to the room that they were dating and to back off, even if the guys were only mildly flirting with her.

Suddenly, she felt guilty for her role in everything, though she really hadn't done anything on purpose. Standing up from the table slowly, and feeling Jonah's eyes on her again, she turned to ask Amy. "Will you step out with me a second?"

Amy agreed and both girls stood up, excusing themselves.

"Hey we're gonna start dancing soon. So make sure you come back," Dominic said. This time his eyes were on Amy.

Sinead could tell that her cousin was flustered so she answered for them. "Sure thing."

It was a quiet walk until they got to the long hallway that led to the bathrooms.

"Is something wrong?" Amy asked her.

"Not really." Sinead bit her lip. "I feel kind of bad for wearing this now."

"Because of the look Jonah gave you?" Amy actually sounded annoyed. "He needs to learn how to hide stuff better. Maybe it's just because I know him and you and that you're dating but he was acting a bit jealous."

"So you caught it too. I feel guilty."

"That's stupid," Amy argued, giving her an impatient look. "Your dress is attention-drawing yes, but so are some of the other girls. And the guys have been making comments like that just now to everyone. I heard Brad tell Talisa something worse than what he just said to you. It's obvious they're just messing with you."

"I guess." Sighing, she looked desperately at Amy. "What should I do? I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings but especially not Jonah's."

"Sinead, you're making too big of a deal out of this. Just act like you have been and let him figure out how to deal with it."

Surprised at her cousin's sharp tone, she just stared at her for a second.

"Sorry. I'm being too harsh," Amy muttered in reply. "It's just that—"

"Did something happen this morning? You were so quiet on the way back and I meant to ask you earlier." Sinead narrowed her eyes at her cousin, remembering her concern as she watched Amy stare blankly out the window the entire ride back.

"No," Amy started, and then furrowed her brow. "I mean yes. Oh, I don't know! Guys suck!"

As soon as she released those words, a random person exited the bathroom, so the girls quieted for a second, freezing mid-step, causing the middle-aged woman to give them a weird glance.

It hit them funny, and when the woman was out of earshot Sinead and Amy started laughing. "We probably look and sound like ten year olds," Sinead barely got out.

"Yeah." Amy giggled once more, then quieted. "Let's talk about this later. I need some time to sort out my thoughts."

"Okay, that's fine." Sinead looped her arm through Amy's as they started making their way back. "But remember that you can tell me anything."

"Thanks." Amy was quiet after that, then sighed, just as they reached the door that led into the banquet room. "But you're here to spend time with your boyfriend, who you barely get to see. So I can deal with things for a couple of days."

Sinead shot her an exasperated look. "Don't you recall how much you've helped me with Jonah before? I can spend time with him _and_ be a listening ear. But anyways, tonight let's just go have some fun."

The smile that crossed Amy's face was almost impish. "Does that mean you're planning to dance?"

Grimacing, Sinead shook her head. "Don't count on it."

—

 **I know, it's probably upsetting that Ian isn't at the party…but it also has a purpose.**

 **Party Part 2 NEXT! :D**


	13. Chapter 12

"Is your name Wi-Fi? Because I'm feeling a connection." The words came from behind her, but Natalie instantly recognized the source. Trying not to smile—she wouldn't want to encourage that behavior after all—she glanced up from her seat and into the jade green eyes of Dan Cahill.

"Hello," she said primly, prompting an eye roll from him.

"All of my best lines are lost on you princess."

Her heart jolted at the nickname, both in annoyance _and_ fondness—though she would never confess the later.

"Maybe it's because my language is more advanced than that."

She had sniffed the words out, causing his eyes to narrow at her. Turning her head back to the dance floor though, she pretended that she didn't see it.

"So you came all this way to the Philippines just to ignore me?"

His tone was joking, but she sensed an underlying emotion in them. Natalie felt a twinge of guilt. "I was only joking with you Daniel," she replied, looking at him and allowing a soft smile to grace her face. When the frown stayed on his face, she stood and looped her arms around him. "I mean it. I was teasing. You should be proud of me over that fact."

Now Dan gave her a smug look. "I'm rubbing off on you huh? It was bound to happen sooner or later."

Instead of keeping the banter up, she snuggled closer to him, inhaling the fragrance of his cologne. "Nice scent," she said approvingly. "Is that Prada?"

"It's that junk you bought me for my birthday. I have no idea what it's called."

It figured that he would refer to it as 'junk', she thought, but brushed it off. While Dan wasn't on top of the latest fashions and fragrances, _she_ was, and as long as he wore what she bought him that was what mattered.

They stayed in the embrace for a minute, and she enjoyed the closeness. It wasn't very often that she and Dan got to spend a lot of time together, and ordinarily not at things like parties. "Aren't you going to ask me to dance?" she finally asked, and felt him stiffen.

"Dance? With you?"

Natalie frowned. They had danced before. Dan had surprised her by asking at the annual Kabra New Year's party last year, and she had found out that he was pretty good at it.

"You don't want to dance with me?" she asked, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice. She knew she failed to pull it off however, when he leaned back to catch her eye.

"It's not that!" he exclaimed quickly, and _loudly_ —a few people turned to look at them. Dan noticed, and lowered his voice to mumble, "Uh, I haven't danced since last year. You know, when we danced. I'm probably out of practice."

Her heart melted at the self-conscience look on his face, and she stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. He stiffened again, and she knew why. It wasn't like she was _totally_ against PDA, but too much of it made her uncomfortable.

"I don't care."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You don't care if I embarrass you, the beautiful and poised Natalie Kabra, in front of everyone?"

Her cheeks burned at his compliment, and she wanted to curse at him. Blushing was something she rarely did. And it wasn't like she didn't _know_ she was beautiful, but it was always nice to hear Dan say it. "Don't be absurd. I'll make you look fabulous."

He grinned, but took her hand, leading her out onto the dance floor.

—

Amy watched her brother and Natalie join the other dancers on the floor, happiness lighting both of their faces. Was it wrong of her to be—

"Jealous?"

To her credit, she didn't jump at the voice that came from her right side. "Of what?" she replied airily.

"The dancers," Dominic replied. "You know"—his voice took on a teasing tone—"if you want to dance, you could always ask me to."

Shifting her eyes over, she saw that he was grinning at her.

" _Or_ I could stand here and enjoy watching everyone else dance and be perfectly content."

He shrugged. "Your loss."

"So we're back to the flirting game?" The words left her lips before she could stop them, lingering in the air between them. Amy wanted to snatch them back, but at the contemplative look on the blonde dancer's face, she was almost glad she spoke them.

"If you want. I feel like you don't really want that though."

"And how would you know what I want?" she asked, stopping short of adding ' _ **I**_ _don't even know what I want.'_

Dominic gave her a look that insinuated he could read her mind. She set her chin though and turned back to the floor, hoping that he would take the hint and go talk to someone else.

"You know," he stated, like he was totally oblivious to her wishes. "For me, dancing is an outlet. It's nice to get into a zone and forget about your problems and who you wish you could forget."

"Like all of your ex-girlfriends?" Amy couldn't help but retort.

"Them too."

The way he said it brought her gaze back to him. He wasn't looking at her, and as Amy took the chance to study him, he seemed almost _sad_? Sympathy rose for him, though she had no idea where it came from or really why she should be feeling that emotion in relation to him.

"I've never thought of it that way."

His eyebrows shot up.

"Dancing as an outlet I mean," she added quickly. "I'm not a dancer though, so I suppose that's why."

"You can dance though, right?" Now he was looking at her again, curiosity replacing the earlier emotion, and her brain froze.

"Uhhh…"

"I'm not talking about professionally," he explained, apparently mistaking her hesitation for confusion. "I mean in general. You do know how?"

"Yes."

The instant she said the words, she regretted not lying. His face lit up, and he cleared his throat and positioned himself to face her. Then he bowed formally, "May I have the honor of dancing with you then?"

She was speechless, and he added, "C'mon. I promise not to do any crazy moves. We'll just do normal dancing."

Though she was probably being silly, Amy could almost _feel_ people's stares on them. Wanting to get away from them, and this awkward situation, she took the hand he was offering her. When he clasped it tightly and pulled her forward, practically beaming at her, she had to work really hard to convince her heart that she was doing this simply because she didn't feel as if she had a choice.

 _You want this. You_ _ **want**_ _to dance with him._

The thought wouldn't leave her, especially as he drew her into a light embrace and started leading her on the floor.

"See," he breathed near her ear, after a few seconds, "this isn't so bad, is it?"

"No." It wasn't bad at _all._ It had been a while since Amy had danced like this with someone. She had dated off and on over the past couple of years, but hadn't had many chances to dance. Gulping, she lifted her eyes from her feet to Dominic's blue ones. "Um, I'm doing okay?"

"As good as a pro."

His statement gave her an opening to break the awkwardness with a joke. "Right. _I'm_ the 'pro'. I barely know what I'm doing right now."

"You don't have to know. You just gotta let me lead."

Was it her imagination, or did his tone change with that declaration? Amy tried to discreetly read his expression, but it was giving nothing away. Sighing, she looked over at the other couples, trying to distract herself from how _aware_ she was of her dance partner right now. It wasn't like Dominic was touching her anywhere out of the norm. He still had one of her hands clasped in his, and the other one was at her waist—the usual dancing pose. But it was still disconcerting. That, and how close his face seemed to hers, where she could practically _feel_ his breath and sense his body heat, had her wishing for her quiet corner.

In her pursual of a distraction, she caught Dan's eye briefly. He pursed his lips at her, his brow furrowing into a frown, but Dominic turned her and she lost eye contact. But it had been long enough for her to read his mind. _'What are you doing Amy?'_

She wished she knew.

—

Jonah laughed politely at Monica, while trying to peer around her to see Sinead. He barely caught a glimpse of wavy red hair before the girl in front of him moved again, effectively blocking his vision. If he wasn't such a good actor, he would have groaned out loud. It was bad enough that he had to pretend that Sinead was his _cousin_ right now, but he figured he would have been able to at least slip a conversation in tonight.

 _I should have known better, with Monica here. And then with her team and mine, I'm stuck 'working'._

Jonah knew that as a high-profile celebrity with many watchful eyes on him tonight, he needed to steer clear of his secret girlfriend and focus on creating some good PR. His dad was keeping an eye on him too—he caught his frown at him earlier, when his eyes were drawn yet again to Sinead. But could anyone blame him? She was always beautiful of course, no matter what she wore, but the dress she had on tonight outlined every curve of her body...

"Jonah, don't you agree?"

Jerking his head back to Monica, he frantically searched his brain for what they had—or more like what _she_ had—been discussing, but came up with nothing.

"I'm sorry," he said politely, "I spaced out there for a sec. What did ya say?"

She prattled on about something from the video, and Jonah gave a quick nod. Then he went back to scanning the room for Sinead. He didn't see her anywhere, but that didn't mean anything. He did notice that Amy and Dominic were dancing though, and wondered if his friend had already forgotten their deal. Probably so, but he would leave any further threats to Sinead. Besides, it didn't look like Amy was protesting too much. Then Jonah's heart quickened as he caught sight of Sinead, standing and talking to a guy he didn't recognize.

Narrowing his eyes, he cleared his throat and looked at Monica. "Will you excuse me? I need to go talk to my dad about something I just remembered."

A frown crossed the girl's face, but she only muttered, "Of course."

Jonah made his way to his dad, applauding himself for his quick thinking. His dad was positioned on one side of a grand piano, and just on the other side was Sinead and the mystery guy.

Broderick gave him a questioning smile as he approached, but didn't seem to put two and two together.

"Hey dad," he greeted him casually, though his gaze darted to the right slightly. The guy was someone he didn't recognize—probably one of Monica's staging crew members—but Jonah immediately was annoyed by how close he was standing to his girlfriend. But to his delight, Sinead stepped backwards, keeping her eyes on the dance floor.

"Is there something you needed son?"

"Can you cover for me while I spy?" Jonah asked. His dad frowned in confusion, but caught sight of the two standing nearby, and rolled his eyes.

"Why not?"

His dad's tone was dry, but Jonah grinned. Broderick then started talking about the show coming up in Hong Kong, while Jonah shifted to where he could hear the duo behind him better, leaning nonchalantly on the piano. This put his back to them—which he hated—but it was necessary to eavesdrop.

"So," the guy was saying. "You're saying you don't dance? At all?"

"No, I don't."

Jonah wanted to smile at the 'not interested' vibe in Sinead's voice, but didn't allow himself to, instead nodding at his dad.

"You wouldn't even make an exception for me?"

Wow, this dude was dumber than a box of rocks. Didn't he know how to take a hint? Jonah debated stepping in to 'rescue' her, but decided to hold off for a second. His girlfriend could handle herself, and he was a little curious to see what she would do.

She didn't disappoint.

"Look, I'm sorry Chad, but I'm not interested. In fact, I think I might go sit down. But I'm sure there are plenty of girls here who would love to dance with you. You should go find one of them."

"Ouch," he whispered. His dad paused, but then continued to speak as if Jonah hadn't said anything.

 _I owe him,_ Jonah thought. _He's playing the 'manager' part perfectly right now._

"Do you want me to get you a drink?" Chad persisted.

"No. I would actually like to be left alone."

There was no other words exchanged, and Jonah finally shifted to where he could dart his gaze over and see Sinead. She was still standing there, alone now, an annoyed look gracing her face. As if feeling eyes on her, she suddenly looked over at him, blinking in shock.

Jonah's brain was racing for something to say, but his dad saved him. "Sinead, how are you?"

His girlfriend pursed her lips, but walked over to them. "I'm great. This is some party." Her eyes shifted to Jonah, and he inwardly froze, but played it off. "I didn't see you standing there Jonah."

"I needed to talk to my dad about something."

If she didn't believe him, she didn't show it. Instead her expression was apathetic as she looked out over the dance floor. Jonah let his eyes drift to her neckline, but only briefly before he followed her gaze.

"Too bad you don't dance. I'm sure you wouldn't be at a loss for partners tonight."

A smile flickered over her face, but she kept her body pointed away from him. "You haven't been dancing either, I've noticed."

It was a casual comment, but he sensed the curiosity in her tone. Shrugging, he lightly replied, "I've danced enough for one day. Besides, the only person I want to dance with is off-limits tonight."

"What a shame."

It took everything in him to not reach for her at the flirty way she answered. As if picking up on this, his dad cleared his throat.

"Jonah now would probably be a good time to go talk to Hilton. After that article he published about you a couple of weeks ago, it wouldn't hurt to keep that relationship pleasant."

"Yeah, you're right," he sighed, knowing what his dad was really saying.

"Have fun," Sinead's voice rang out as they turned, but he only replied "thanks" over his shoulder, intent now on pushing thoughts of his girlfriend with her killer looks and killer body from his mind. At least for now, so he would be able to survive the night.

—

As soon as they were a good distance away, Sinead turned to find a place to sit down. She hadn't been lying when she told Chad those were her plans. Not one for parties—particularly ones with celebrities and reporters in attendance—she felt like she had mingled enough for the evening. And already she had to turn down a multitude of dance requests, something she hadn't counted on.

 _When you and Jonah's relationship is revealed one day, you'll have to attend a lot of events like this and probably dance with him too._

She frowned as the thought hit her. Not only would she have to get used to the spotlight, but everyone _would_ expect her to know how to dance—to be good at it even, given her boyfriend's skills in that area. Discomfort set in, and she made a mental note to somehow slide dancing lessons in her schedule. It would be difficult once she started her courses again, _especially_ with juggling that and dating Jonah, but she supposed learning to dance was part of being his girlfriend.

 _I can do it. I can handle both my classes and dating him._

Sinead brushed off the misgivings, trying not to think of how hard it had been the last two months to balance those two items alone. There was no point in worrying about it now, not when she should be taking this week to relax and enjoy her time with him, even if they _couldn't_ be spending time together this very second.

Smiling to herself, she thought of Jonah coming over her to spy on her. She wasn't an idiot; she knew what he had been doing. Maybe the action should have made her mad—and maybe it would when she thought about it later—but it had given her a few minutes with him, even if his dad _had_ been right there. That short moment had made all of the dressing up, nerves, and socialization worth it.

She found a chair near the wall and settled in to enjoy watching the dancers. To her astonishment, she saw Dominic leading Amy off of the floor. Had they been dancing just now? The thought puzzled her, but she shook it off. If Amy needed help with her love life, she would say the word and Sinead would assist her. Otherwise, she was staying out of things. She had already said her piece anyways and now wasdetermined to enjoy the rest of the night, even if it was from the sidelines.

And she did. Thought it was hard to stay true to her 'I don't dance at parties' policy (which was even more difficult when Amber and some of the other girls had tried to convince her), Sinead had a lot of fun just sitting and talking to everyone. Jonah's crew was amazing, and didn't let her sit alone for too long.

Sinead also noticed that while Jonah danced some, it was always by himself or with his dancers and not with any of the females there. It surprised her, as she thought he would dance with a few girls, if only as a cover, but it made her happy at the same time.

Then the break dance competition came and went—arguably the most entertaining part of the evening—and ended up turning into a free-for-all dance where everyone was just acting goofy. Tempting as it was to join them, Sinead refrained, deciding to just video the others instead. Besides, it was good blackmail material. Especially of Dan, who was in his element, throwing out moves that Sinead had never even seen before or thought of.

She thought through her laughter that it was probably a good thing Natalie had excused herself from the party already, having received a phone call from her brother that her presence was required at whatever location he was at. The British girl would be _horrified_ as his goofiness. But then again, maybe she wouldn't be. Relationships did strange things to people after all.

Finally around 1 am Sinead was ready to go. The drinking had started, as well as the grinding on the dance floor, and she really wasn't thrilled to think of watching people humiliate themselves. She was all for having a good time but figured Jonah would probably leave too, or at least avoid the alcohol.

 _And hopefully the dancing too,_ she thought as she watched yet another female approach him, probably wanting him to dance. With Monica's crew there too there was a little more mixing and flirting going on than normal.

Suddenly feeling a little depressed—though she had no reason to be—she turned to Amy.

"I think I'm going to head up."

Her cousin looked at her, relief on her face. It was then that Sinead noticed Dominic dancing with some random girl on the dance floor, and it wasn't the innocent kind of dancing either.

"I'm going with you." Her tone was bitter, but Sinead wisely refrained from commenting, instead taking Amy's arm and standing up. What could she say to that? It was apparent that Amy had some sort of feelings for the dancer, and there he was out there, screwing it up. What an idiot.

"Hey should we get Dan too?" Sinead asked, the thought coming to her. "He's still kind of young and it's getting kind of crazy..."

"Oh yeah." They looked around for him and spotted him by the punch, talking animatedly to Broderick and Jonah, the latter of whom apparently had turned down the girl's dance offer. "I'll go get him if you want to wait here," Amy offered and Sinead nodded in reply.

She still wasn't sure what to say to Jonah. Besides that one moment with his dad present, he had kept his distance from her the entire night, only directing a few sentences her way.

But when Amy approached she saw that he was walking back over with her and Dan—the younger boy not looking very happy, but resigned.

"I'll walk up with you guys," Jonah said easily, shooting a small smile at her.

Surprised and relieved, she barely contained her reaction but only smiled back.

Together, the four of them headed for the elevators. As the doors closed, Jonah turned to Dan and Amy. "You guy might wanna turn around." Then he was reaching for Sinead, even as realization hit her.

"Jonah, there might be cameras—"

But he was already pulling her right up against him.

"Hmm well babe maybe you shoulda thought about _cameras_ before you decided to wear _that._ "

"Oh no, not again," Sinead heard Dan mumble, but then all thoughts fled as Jonah started to kiss her.

It wasn't fair how that when he touched her, all of a sudden every rational and practical thought flew from her brain. She didn't know how it happened, but when the elevator chimed at the 19th floor and he pulled back, she realized that she had pressed back against him, her arms had somehow ended up around his neck, and his hands had been on her lower waist, grazing her butt.

"Here ya are."

She wanted to wipe the smirk off of the Janus' face, but glared at him instead. It was probably canceled out by her heavy breathing, but it made her feel better.

" _Thank_ you _._ " She managed to get the sarcasm in there, but Jonah only smiled at her.

"You'd better go before the doors close again." His voice was threatening, and she realized that Amy and Dan had already exited and weren't even in sight anywhere.

Flushing and feeling a little unsteady, she exited also, not looking back at her boyfriend.

 _Cameras. There are definitely cameras in the hallways._

She blindly found her and Amy's room and inserted the key. But the door was already opening.

"Back so soon?" her cousin's dry voice came from the doorway.

"Shut up," she mumbled. "I'm going to kill him for that before we leave."

In fact, she decided to send Jonah a text telling him just that. All she got was a wink in return so she sighed, giving up and tossing the phone on the bed.

Amy laughed. "Hey at least he didn't do it in front of everyone at the party. You know how impulsive he can be."

"That's true," Sinead sighed. "He's just so, so—"

Frowning, she stopped, searching for an appropriate word.

"Male?"

Sinead rolled her eyes at Amy. "That one works."

But she wasn't as mad as she was appearing to be, and had a feeling that Amy knew it too. Her cousin only shrugged in response and pointed out, "You didn't stop him."

Not being able to combat the fact, Sinead prepared for bed instead, allowing herself to rehash the day's events. She also tried to push back the one thought that had been going through her mind all day—the one that she wished wasn't so true.

 _One more day, and then half of the next one. That's all you have left._

—

Sinead was out in minutes, leaving Amy alone with her jumbled thoughts. Just when she thought her life couldn't get any more complicated, tonight had to happen.

It was supposed to be easier without Ian there, yet Amy had missed his presence and caught herself looking around for him the entire evening, as if he would materialize out of nowhere. She hadn't said one word to him—hadn't even made eye contact in fact—since she had left him alone on the lawn outside of Jonah's campaign shoot. How was it possible for her to feel anything but contempt for him?

 _I think my 'feelings' for Ian are more intense than I thought. Because even though I enjoyed the dance with Dominic, it wasn't the same as Ian being there._

The dance…

Amy had almost forgotten about Ian during it, she had been so focused on the feeling of Dominic's embrace and her attraction to him. But once it was over, reality had set in, especially when the dancer had gone back to dancing with every other girl there. She had expected that from him, but at the same time, the memory of Dominic grinding against the curvy blonde on the floor made her wince, and sent pain rushing through her.

 _I need to swear off guys for the rest of the trip. I'm done. I'm tired of being hurt and confused and not knowing what I want. I just have to make it through one more day._

She could do this.

—

 **So sorry nerdycook24 that there was no action, but Ian's whereabouts** _ **will**_ **be revealed in the next chapter!**

 **Only a few chapters left! I'm definitely leaning towards writing another sequel to this though...and who knows what will happen in it! Let's just say, I've been practicing writing action scenes. ;)**


	14. Chapter 13

**New chapter! (Oh, and I may be sort of AWOL for this month...I have SO much going on and two trips planned! Also, I'll be hosting two friends for part of the month!)**

 **Reader** **: you don't have an account so I can't pm you, so I'm responding to your review here. First, thank you for all of your reviews so far! Next, I promise things will get better for Amy in the sequel, but I can't promise any, er, risqué scenes (at least not going into an 'M' rating) between Jonah/Sinead for two reasons. First, I'm not comfortable writing those kinds of scenes—at least in detail—though I have written ones that have a strong 'T'. Secondly, a lot of people that read my fics may not be old enough to read that, and I would hate for them to miss the sequel. BUT I may possibly do a 'oneshot outtake' sort of scene that's a** _ **light**_ **lemon, and if I do, I will def. let you know! Thanks again for reviewing! I love the feedback and welcome the ideas/suggestions! :)**

—

The next morning found Sinead in a terrible mood, all of the traveling and events of the previous day hitting her as soon as her alarm sounded. She felt like she had been run over by a cement truck, and told Amy and Natalie that as soon as she opened her mouth. Her cousins had agreed with her, but there wasn't much time for talking as they were expected downstairs within the hour.

Their group was bound for Hong Kong, only two hours flight time away, but somehow their flight was the earliest one possible. Sinead tried not to let it annoy her, she knew that with Jonah's concert being that night they had to get there early so the crew could set up and he could do sound check and stuff. But still, she wanted to lounge around and talk to Jonah, not share him again with everyone.

 _This is the last full day I'll spend with for at least another month._

It was hard to wrap her mind around. This week had seemed like a totally different world, just like it had been back in August. And, just like then, Sinead didn't want to go back home. She didn't want to deal with the emotional let-down again, only she had a feeling it would be worse this time around.

 _I feel a lot closer to Jonah now. And we've been through a lot in this short week. It really sucks that it's gone by so quickly._

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't say much downstairs, in the limo, or through the check-in process in the airport. It wasn't until they were waiting for the plane—security guards surrounding their group that was nearly bombarded by Jonah's fans—that a voice came near her ear.

"Hey, why are you so down in the dumps?"

It was Dominic. Her sarcastic retort died when she looked up and caught his worried frown.

"It's nothing."

His mouth quirked into an almost-smile. "It doesn't seem like 'nothing'. At first I thought you were just tired like the rest of us, but you won't even look at anyone."

Before she could stop herself, she whispered back, "It's setting in that I only have one more day with him okay? And I'm probably going to barely get to spend any time with him alone!"

Dominic's blue eyes blinked at her in astonishment. "Whoa, you actually admitted that to me? It must be pretty bad."

Sinead's feelings must have shown on her face because he quickly added as the security guards motioned for them to board, "As soon as we get settled in our next hotel come to my room. I get my own this time and I'll get Jonah there too. I can pretend it's something to do with the show, since he would be hounded otherwise."

Surprise hit her as she realized that Dominic was actually being _helpful_ instead of a jerk about it, but she smiled at him in gratitude.

"Thank you."

That was all she got out before the group crowded around them, Sinead having placed herself right by the gate earlier.

"No problem" he said out loud, then leaned close again and muttered, "just put in a good word for me to Amy. I think she's mad at me, though I have no idea why."

Scenes of Dominic grinding on the dance floor with random girls flashed through Sinead's brain, but she didn't have time to clue him in.

 _For him being so perceptive just now, he's still a complete idiot when it comes to girls._

—

Sinead was so anxious to be in Hong Kong that the two-hour flight seemed like it took ten hours. She didn't know how Jonah traveled all the time. It was fun when it came to vacations and things, but doing it constantly?

Her boyfriend didn't seem to be bothered by it though, talking empathetically to Dan as they exited the plane, only three people in front of her. Not for the first time, Sinead kind of wished that their relationship was public. Just momentarily, so she could hold his hand or kiss his cheek without causing heart attacks all around them.

Again, she didn't know when she had become so 'touchy' but as she stared at Jonah's back, it was so tempting to push past the people standing in her way to be close to him.

 _Get a grip. You'll be alone with him soon, if Dominic pulls it off._

And 'soon' came sooner than she thought. It didn't take long at all to get to the hotel, and then their rooms were ready right away, a change from the last two locations they had been in. It was almost eleven when the text came from Dominic - _**hey room # is 1224. I need your help with something technical ;) heard you were a 'wiz'.**_

She rolled her eyes at the pun, but headed that way immediately, letting Amy know that she was off to meet Jonah and gave her the room number in case she needed it.

Her phone went off again, just as she exited her room and she quickly checked it, hoping that it wasn't Dominic canceling the plan. But it was from Julie, her school friend from Boston.

 _ **Girl I just saw you on YouTube!**_ —Sinead's heart dropped and all she could think about was the elevator from the previous night. _I told Jonah that there might be cameras. Oh no—_ but she sank in relief as she read the rest of the message. _**It was some teaser for a campaign Jonah and some chick are a part of. I think I saw you and Amy in the background. Super cool! Looks like you're having fun!**_

Sinead took a second to type a reply back, all the while thanking her lucky stars that it hadn't been what she thought it was. This sneaking around stuff was getting to be stressful.

Cautiously—even more so now—she neared the room that was a floor below hers but she didn't meet anyone on her way. They were probably either unpacking or napping. Sinead knew that if it wasn't for this meeting, she would have chosen napping.

 _Later, when Jonah's busy with concert stuff. Who needs sleep now anyways?_

Adrenaline hit her, but she passed it off to the energy drink she had just guilty consumed. Rapping on the door, she waiting impatiently for it to open, shifting her feet against the soft carpet of the hallway.

After what seemed like eons the door peeped open, and Dominic's raspy voice said, "All clear for entrance. Agent Nic 407 signing off."

Sinead stared at him for a beat before walking in his room, holding her tongue. Jonah was lying on the bed but sat up when he saw her approach. Even though she expected him to react to seeing her, the grin that lit his face still made her pulse dance, and she returned it instantly, feeling her insides melting. Only a little though, of course. She wasn't one to _melt._

"You guys are making me feel uncomfortable."

Ignoring the voice behind her, Sinead walked over in Jonah's direction, but he stood to meet her, pulling her into a hug. He was warm, and she couldn't stop her smile. _Finally._

"Hey angel," he said. "Where did you come from?"

Before she could answer he continued, "I think heaven is missing you."

She couldn't help but laugh at the cheesy pick-up line. "What a line."

"So Sinead," Dominic broke into the moment and she reluctantly pulled back from Jonah to look over at him. "I'm having trouble with my cell phone so I needed you to look at it. It wouldn't do good for my love life to be without it, which is why Jonah is here, for moral support."

" _That's_ the excuse you came up with?" Sinead was annoyed, both at his pitiful excuse _and_ she felt that it wasn't worth breaking up her hug just now.

"Hey, you should be thanking me!"

Sinead bit back the remark she was about to make and changed course. "Thank you."

Jonah chuckled and led her over to a small couch that was facing the bed, keeping his hand laced with hers. "I'm proud of you babe. You're gonna have a bruise from biting your comments back so much this week."

It was that moment that another voice joined theirs. "When it comes to you two, that's no surprise."

Sinead stiffened at first and almost pulled her hand out of Jonah's, but it was only Amber, standing in the doorway with a smirk on her face. The door had appeared to be shut but apparently it was only pulled to. Good thing it was someone who was in the loop about her and Jonah.

"I heard there was a party in here and decided to join you guys. It's not a problem right?"

Sinead felt slightly frustrated but figured the more the merrier. Obviously she wasn't going to be able to get completely alone with her boyfriend, so it almost didn't matter.

"Come on in," Dominic answered Amber. "We were just discussing Sinead's brilliance."

"No we weren't. We were discussing Dominic's sorry love life," Sinead informed the other girl.

Amber grinned at her as she sat on the bed. "That's a broad topic."

"So speaking of brilliance," Dominic said, ignoring both girls, "what are you going to school for Sinead? Jonah said your classes are pretty stressful sometimes."

She shot Jonah a look but he wasn't looking back so she gave in. "This time around I'm going for my PhD in Molecular and Translational Medicine."

"This time around?" Amber questioned, and it was Jonah who answered.

"Sinead already has one under her belt."

"Wait, already has one? As in, this is your _second_ PhD?" Dominic was blinking at her, amazement on his features.

Feeling a little unnerved at the sudden attention that was placed on her, she shrugged and tried to downplay it. "Yeah."

"So not only are you beautiful, super cool and down to earth, but you're obviously as smart as heck too." Dominic looked at Jonah, shaking his head at him as if in awe. "Dude, why is she dating you again?"

"I have no idea," Jonah said easily, leaning back against the couch and casting Sinead a doleful smile. "I think she felt sorry for me."

"Whatever." Sinead rolled her eyes at him.

She was going to go on but Dominic said, "Did you lose a bet then?"

"No!" Letting out a laugh, she said honestly, "I'm dating him for reasons that are none of your business."

"You tell 'em girl," Elise spoke up from the doorway. "What are we talking about?"

"Why Sinead is dating Jonah," Amber stated, an impressed look on her face. "Did you know that she's going to school right now for her second PhD? As in, 'she already has her first'?"

Elise threw Sinead an admiring look as she walked into the room. "Wow, that's awesome."

Then she turned her attention on Jonah. "I have no idea how _you_ managed that one."

Sinead shook her head in response, "I think most people would say the opposite. In fact, if we surveyed one-hundred random people…"

"They would say that I'm super lucky," her boyfriend finished for her, and then glanced up at Elise. "Hey can you lock the door?"

She shot him a questioning look but complied. Sinead had a feeling she knew why though. "Jonah…"

But he pulled her to him before she could finish. Instead of kissing her like she thought he would, he nuzzled her temple and then whispered in her ear, "See, even my dancer's think you're amazing."

Sinead met his eyes and shook her head slightly at him, "I'm not as amazing as I think you are," she whispered back, deciding to be honest. Jonah's mouth turned up into a little smile and he kissed her softly, but not before she saw the surprise in his eyes.

 _Mental note: compliment boyfriend more often._

When she pulled back he pouted. "Hey I wasn't done kissing you. Come back here."

Sinead opened her mouth to protest but Jonah's lips were already brushing hers. Giving in, she almost forgot where they were, until a knock sounded on the door and Dominic could be heard clearing his throat.

Jonah was the first to pull away, a rueful look on his face. She smiled at the expression but looked down to make sure her clothes didn't look rumpled, and then smoothed her hair as she moved over on the couch, putting space between them.

"Hey guys," Amy's voice came from the door. "Is Sinead in here? I need to talk to her really quick."

Her cousin's voice sounded calm on the surface, but Sinead could sense an urgent note in it.

"Sure," she said, already standing up with a frown on her brow. Turning to Jonah, she flashed him an apologetic look but his gaze was on the door too and he looked slightly concerned too.

"I'll try to come back."

Now his gaze met hers. "It's okay babe, go see what's wrong and don't worry about me."

 _This_ was one of the reasons she like him so much. So many guys would be annoyed at the interruption, especially if they were trying to make out with their girlfriend.

Impulsively she leaned down, grasped his shoulders, and kissed him, hovering over his lips as she breathed out, "Just so you know, I think you're pretty incredible."

Leaving him there looking startled, she joined Amy at the door, a smile stretching over her lips.

—

It was quiet only for a few seconds after Sinead left before Jonah's dancers started in on him.

"You better not ever break up with her," Amber threatened, her dark eyes flashing. "She is the coolest girl you've ever dated."

Elise chimed in, "Yes, I agree. You would be crazy to let her go."

Jonah quirked a brow at Dominic. "Anything you wanna add man?"

He was teasing of course, just like he knew the girls were. At least, he thought they were. They both looked pretty serious still.

"Nah, you know you've got a good thing." His friend leaned against the door as he spoke. "Besides, she's more likely to dump you than the other way around."

Elise burst into laughter and even Amber grinned as Jonah gaped.

"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?"

"Dude, you know I love you like a brother, but Sinead is like perfection."

Jonah cast him a sour glance, "I don't even know why I asked. I'm totally aware of your 'crush' on my girlfriend."

He stood from the couch, not wanting to allow his thoughts to go there. He trusted Dominic and knew his words were in jest, but after the party the past night Jonah was reminded of just how many guys found Sinead attractive. Not only was he forced to watch them ogle her, but he couldn't even do anything about it.

Of course, thinking that Sinead was related to Jonah the guys hadn't said anything too bad, but he knew they probably did behind his back. And he hated to know that they thought of her in that way. Not to sound like a possessive jealous boyfriend, but Sinead was _his._

"You know we're just messing with you Jonah."

He looked up to see his dancers' eyes on him.

"I know. It's not that." Jonah hesitated, then decided to share part of it. Out of all of his crew, these were the three that he trusted the most. "It's hard to hide it. And part of me doesn't want to."

"I was kind of wondering about that." Amber frowned at him, her eyes curious. "I know the media is horrible but normally you like to just get it over with and out there."

Jonah gnawed on his lip, trying to think of how to word his answer.

"Is it her?" Elise spoke up before he could. "Sinead is outgoing but she seems a little more private. Or at least that's the impression I have of her. She was uncomfortable with the attention she got last night, for example."

Jonah smiled at her, relieved that she had nailed it. "That's it, exactly." He shrugged. "I don't blame her, but she doesn't like the idea of the paparazzi nosing into her life. And you guys don't know this, but it took her a while to warm up to me when we met. Like she hated me at first."

Three sets of eyes flew to his, all shocked.

"Yeah. I know. Who could hate me right?" He grinned, then explained briefly how they became friends and then finally started dating. "Even then though I've been taking it slow I don't want to do anything mess this up, and I feel like the media at this point would freak her out."

"Well you can trust us not to leak anything," Amber said empathetically. "And we can help cover."

"Thanks," Jonah said, and meant it.

Another thought came to him—one that he had been entertaining a few minutes ago—and his gaze flew to his dancers. "Actually, there _is_ something else that you guys could help me with."

Three sets of eyes met his, gleaming with curiosity, and Jonah knew that they were hooked.

"I have this _idea.._."

—

"I'm so, so, sorry to interr—" Amy started, but her cousin cut her off.

"It's fine. What's going on? It's not you-know-who is it?"

Amy paused at Sinead's question, not really sure who she was referring to. She started to ask, but they arrived at their room so she waited until they were in and the door had shut behind them.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Oh, I don't know. Dominic, Ian, Dan…" the Ekat trailed, giving her a sideways glance as she plopped on her bed. "Who do I need to 'talk' to?"

Forcing the smile down over the poorly veiled threat, Amy gestured to the table, a little surprised that her cousin hadn't already spotted the new item in the room.

Sinead followed her hand-motion, then her eyes widened.

"Flowers?" she almost sputtered on the word, staring at them, then back at Amy. "Who are they from?"

"I have no idea," Amy admitted, feeling calmer now that she had someone to talk about this with, "they just came a few minutes ago. But that's not the weird part, read the card."

Her cousin did so, a frown crossing her face as she read out loud. "Amy, please forgive me."

Then she snorted. "Well, that's enlightening, considering there are a lot of people around here that owe you an apology."

Smiling despite her nerves, Amy went and sat on her bed, keeping her eyes on the arrangement of pink and white roses.

"Do you think they're from Dominic? I mean, he did act like a jerk last night, flirting with you and then acting like that with those random chicks on the dance floor."

Amy had thought of that, but wrote it off almost instantly. "I don't think so. Roses don't really seem to be his thing. And the thing is…" she hesitated, not wanting to vocalize it.

Sinead's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Does the handwriting look, you know"—she swallowed, then blurted out, " _Familiar_?"

The Ekat peered at the card again, then slowly shook her head, making Amy's heart sink. "No, it doesn't."

"Okay. I didn't think so either," she said quickly. Probably too quickly, as suspicious green eyes flew to hers, but Amy ignored them. "Do you think…" but again she trailed. Sinead didn't know about her conversation with Ian, and Amy didn't want to share it. She trusted Sinead to keep it a secret, but somehow it seemed too personal to share with anyone right now.

"Do I think what? That they're from Ian?"

Amy stiffened, but didn't turn her gaze from the roses, roses that now seemed blurry and out of focus.

When she didn't answer, her cousin said in that calculating tone she took on at times. "It would be like him to do something like this. Although I think it's a total cop-out move. Jonah better not ever try roses to get on my good side instead of a face-to-face apology."

Seeing an opening to turn this subject around, Amy smiled at her cousin. "Should I warn him? Or let him figure it out himself?"

Before Sinead could reply, a knock sounded on the door. Amy braced herself while Sinead rose to answer it.

It was only Natalie though, and Amy was about to invite her in to chill when she caught the look on her face. "What's going on?"

"Ian and I need to talk to you two for a second. Dan and Jonah too. It's about what happened last night when Ian got called away and then I left also."

Amy had wondered about that, but wordlessly got up and followed Natalie into her room. Ian and Dan were already there.

"Jonah is on his way," Ian supplied, answering everyone's unspoken question. The amber-eyed boy _appeared_ relaxed, but Amy could sense some tension. Not that she was really looking at him or anything. This morning at the airport they had kept their distance from each other, and the one time they had happened to be exiting the plane restrooms at the same time, well, it was awkward to say the least. Their startled gazes had met each other's, then they both quickly looked away, pretending to not notice the other person.

Jonah appeared in a few minutes, and as soon as the door shut behind him, Ian spoke.

"I got called away yesterday on Lucian business. Something, well, _strange_ happened at our base in London."

He and Natalie exchanged a quick look, then he continued. "We received an encrypted message via email around four in the afternoon."

"Encrypted?" Amy echoed, a feeling of dread creeping in.

Natalie was the one who answered. "Yes. It came to one of our lower-ranked Lucians, who passed it up until it reached Ian."

"I felt the need to leave, even though I sincerely believed it to be a prank," Ian took over. "But about seven o'clock we deciphered it." His voice dropped, and the room was so still that Amy could hear Dan's intake of breath as Ian stated. "It said 'We're coming, get ready. - V1'."

 _The Vespers._

Even though they had received one threatening message like this before, almost two years ago, Amy's heart still plummeted. Almost without thinking, she touched the necklace she always wore, hidden beneath her shirt, while at the same time looking down at her watch. Gideon's ring was still there of course, but she felt the need to check anyways.

 _I haven't even thought of the Vespers all week, that's how distracted I've been. But the threat is so real._

The Lucian was still talking, so she didn't have much time to feel the shame creep in. Not that she could have done anything about it, but she always somehow felt responsible when something bad happened.

"There was an additional note at the bottom of the email. But it was an assortment of symbols that no one has been able to figure out yet."

"We should go home and try to help solve it." The words left Amy's mouth before she could stop them. But once they did, she caught the frown on Sinead's face. "At least me," she amended, turning to Dan. Surely he would be on her side.

Her brother was looking at Ian though. "That was all? No packages or other threats? Maybe a date to make things easier?"

His tone was joking, but Amy caught the edge in it. Ian shook his head.

"Nothing else," he confirmed. Then he replied to Amy, though he didn't quite meet her eye. "We sent an explanation of the threat to all of the branch leaders as a cautionary measure, as well as the undecipherable code."

"Yes," Natalie inserted. "So there is no need for anyone to get anxious or leave early. It may be nothing. Besides, we leave tomorrow."

"Why did ya tell us then, if there's nothing to do?" Jonah asked.

"We wanted to tell everyone who was at the reunion in August," Ian said, a bit awkwardly. Amy wasn't sure why, until he added, "We're the ones doing most of the training for an attack, and we are the only ones other than the branch leaders who would even consider banding together to ward off the possible attack."

"I'm not sure if I believe you," Amy stated, stopping short of adding _it wouldn't be the first time you've lied._ "If it was a big enough deal for Natalie to _leave_ the party last night then why are you two just now saying something? Is there something you aren't telling us?"

"Amy," Dan mumbled, but she didn't even spare him a glance, crossing her arms and raising a brow at Ian.

"This affects all of us," she said firmly.

"Natalie's departure from the party had nothing to do with this threat." Ian's voice was calm, but she saw the instant his facial expression closed up. Suspicion rose even further, but before she could speak, Natalie did.

"He's right Amy." Her voice was soft but steady. "I left due to some crucial Lucian business that was exclusive to our branch alone. And we wouldn't keep back any information that would endanger anyone in this group or their branch."

Letting out a breath, Amy looked at the girl. "Sorry, it's just—"

Jonah spoke up again, "Hey, it's understandable cuz. The Vespers are enough to put anyone on edge, false threat or not."

"Yeah," was all Amy said, not daring to look at Ian. She supposed he didn't deserve the accusation, but it was true that she _was_ on edge.

 _And not only for the reason everyone probably thinks I am._

She didn't say anything else, but as soon as she left the room she was calling Fiske and requesting a copy of the code to be emailed to her. Then she would call Erasmus and get his take on things. And what if it wasn't a 'false threat'? What if it was something urgent, like the Vesper agents attacking this weekend? The easygoing approach was the wrong one to take, she could feel it in her gut. She wondered if Dan could too, but when she looked over at him, he was exchanging a look with Natalie, and for once, she couldn't read it.

Suddenly, Amy felt alone.

"Well," Sinead spoke for the first time since the meeting started, breaking into the tense silence. "There's nothing to do at this point, like Natalie said."

When Amy looked at her though, she caught the pensive look on her face and made a mental note to ask her Ekaterina cousin later what her thoughts were on this. She was probably so quiet because she was analyzing everything. Maybe she would even want to help her decipher the symbols. Codes were her specialty after all.

"Yeah, and I need to get ready for tonight's show," Jonah said, grimacing. "Dad's wanting me at the venue pretty early."

"Oh wait Jonah; I wanted to discuss something with you." Natalie added as everyone started to rise.

"Yeah?"

"You didn't sing the verse of your new song the other night at your concert, the one you wrote for Sinead. I was disappointed."

Jonah winced. "Oh yeah. We had to cut a few songs down and that was one of them. I figured since Sinead couldn't make it—"

"Wait," Sinead's alarmed voice cut in. All eyes turned to the redhead, but hers were on Natalie. "How do _you_ know that was written for me?"

"There was a group text about it when the song was first released. Anyways Jonah, you should sing it tonight."

He was nodding, but again, Sinead spoke. "Group text?!"

To Amy's astonishment, her cousin turned accusing eyes on her. "It wasn't me!" Amy protested quickly. "Nellie's the one who sent it!"

"Yo, cool." A lazy smile crossed Jonah's face.

"No, it's _not_ 'cool'!" The alarm seeped back into Sinead's tone. "Were my brothers in the text?!"

"Yep. The Holts too," Dan informed. "Ted said 'Nice lyrics' and Ned said something like 'Just keep them clean'."

Sinead's cheeks got red, but she didn't say anything else. Jonah however, let out a laugh. "You got it Natalie. I'll make sure it doesn't get cut."

"Thank you," she replied.

"Okay well Amy and I were in the middle of something before this," Sinead hastily said, coming over and grabbing Amy's arm. "So we will see you all later."

Amy didn't even have a chance to say anything as her cousin practically dragged her out of the room and into the hallway.

—

Jonah waited until the door closed before turning to the other occupants of the room. When Natalie came to get him, he had been right in the middle of his genius plan—a plan that might include his cousins' assistance.

"Hey, can you all maybe help me with somethin' after the show tonight?"

Open curiosity gleamed in Natalie and Dan's eyes, while Ian tried to appear apathetic. But his custom Oxford shoes shifted closer.

"I, uh, kinda have a plan. Something for Sinead. But I'm gonna need some good actors to help me pull it off."

Just like his dancers had earlier, the three leaned in, ready to be let in on it. Maybe Jonah should be more concerned with the possible Vesper threat than with this. But hey, nothing happened last time they got a weird note right? Sometimes you had to just live in the moment.

"Okay, so it's like this…"

—

 **So it's probably weird of me to throw the Vesper stuff/Erasmus/Gideon's ring out of nowhere, but I figured since I'm planning on a sequel, I should start explaining things lol**

 **#1. Amy has the ring, but there were no attacks from Casper Wyoming (for reasons explained later ;)) in getting it, so they haven't seen him in person…..yet.**

 **#2. Over the past four years, this is only the second threat, but Erasmus has given them his list of suspects...so yeah. My two stories have focused on the 'living life' part of the Cahill's and has gone way AU from the book series, but I'm bringing it back (or trying).**

 **Now after that long explanation, what do you think Jonah is planning? ;D**

 **(Only 4-5 chapters left!)**


	15. Chapter 14

**So I thought it would be another week before I could post this, but I had some time so here it is!** **This chapter (and the next one ;D) is one of my favorites! Also, it's extra long...so hang tight!**

* * *

Sinead shifted forward slightly from her position backstage. This venue was set up differently than the last one she had been at, and when Broderick had mentioned that they could watch from a private balcony or backstage, she had opted for the latter. Dan, Natalie, and Ian chose the balcony so they could see the performances better (though Sinead suspected Natalie and Ian wanted the option to sit down), but Amy had insisted on staying with her. Sinead thought she just wanted the space from Ian, but hadn't commented.

Amy was really concerned about the Vesper threat, and though Sinead was too, she felt deep-down that it was another false alarm. She hadn't voiced it, instead helping Amy run a search on the symbols and trying to find anything that resembled it. They had spent over two hours and had come up with nothing. Still, Sinead assured her that once they got back to Boston they could spend more time researching.

Not wanting the worry to resurface, she turned back to the stage. All in all, they could see pretty well from here and Sinead felt more secluded in her spot— _and_ more comfortable reacting to Jonah's songs than if she would have been with everyone else. During the first show she felt like people were gauging her reaction.

As Jonah nailed the dance moves, the notes, the riffs, and the show in general, she allowed a proud smile to cross her face. He was really good at what he did. She had mentioned it to him before, but awe still struck her as she watched it unfold in front of her. He was in control of every aspect of the show, and his ease behind the mic—even just talking to his fans—was obvious. Of course, he had been doing this since he was barely a teenager…

Sinead stiffened as Jonah gave a 'shout-out to his awesome cuz's who were here tonight', but relaxed once he moved on. The song that was partly written for her followed, and she wondered if that was planned.

 _Sometimes I wonder what he sees in me. Not that I don't think I'm good enough for him, but you would think he would go for someone who really stoked his ego or something,_ she thought as he soaked in the attention from the crowd. Biting her lip, she forced her thoughts away, and instantly regretted it because Ted's phone call that she had received right before the show came back to her.

 _Don't think of that now. Ned's okay. It's not urgent._

Yet the uneasy feeling wouldn't leave. Ted called to inform her that their brother had another seizure today. Ned had them often, but this time they had almost taken him to the hospital.

' _I don't want to stress you out, especially since you're halfway around the world. But I figured you would want to know now rather than later,'_ Ted had stated.

And he was right. Sinead would have killed him for not letting her know right away. But now she was stuck trying not to worry about it, _and_ stuck with guilt.

 _You haven't been spending nearly as much time working on a cure since you've been dating Jonah._

The thought sent an irrational pang of shame through her. She had been working diligently and all, but at the same time, her focus hadn't primarily been on her schoolwork _or_ on curing her brothers.

 _But it hasn't been 100% on Jonah either. You've been doing a good job of juggling it all and dividing your time,_ she reminded herself, remembering the times she had pushed a phone call aside from her boyfriend in order to finish a test or assignment. Also, she was starting to work on a compound, something to help Ned's migraines, and she was almost positive she was on to something. That had to count, right?

Her attention was caught by Jonah starting the second verse of the song, the one for her and the one that Natalie had specifically requested. The embarrassing scene from earlier tugged at her mind but she shook it off and watched Jonah perform. Permitting herself to let the sappy feeling overtake her—only temporarily of course—she relaxed and enjoyed the lyrics.

—

Dan kind of missed this stuff. True, he was 'sneaking around' to help Jonah plan a date (definitely not the same thing as the Clue hunt), but it was still fun. Beside him, Natalie apparently wasn't feeling the same way.

"I ruined my shoes by walking through that mess!" she complained.

Dan shot a side-glance at her shoes, but they didn't look ruined to him. "Can't you just order another pair?"

His girlfriend huffed. "That's not the point Daniel."

Uh-oh. When she used his full name, nothing good usually followed. Thinking quickly, he said, "But won't it be worth it later when Sinead gushes about how she had 'the perfect romantic date'?"

Those were Natalie's exact words from earlier, but she only continued to glare at him. Then, to his surprise, a smile replaced it.

"I suppose so," she relented, turning back to the street. "I doubt however, that Sinead will _gush._ "

"True." Dan left it at that, but was thinking ' _you would gush. And you just_ _ **might**_ _gush when you find out what_ _ **I**_ _have planned later._

He didn't voice it though, wanting to keep it a surprise for as long as possible.

—

It was almost eleven when their group reached the hotel. Jonah watched Amber lean over and whisper something to Sinead and had to work to hold back his grin.

Amber was in charge of getting all of the girls to her room for a 'girl's night in'. Then, if Natalie played it right, she would feign sickness, play on Sinead's sympathy (and her Ekat medical knowledge), leave the group, and deliver Sinead to his room, where the perfect date would be waiting for her.

Really, Jonah wished he could take her out, but at the same time he was looking forward to relaxing and being able to talk to her without worrying about the paparazzi.

As soon as he got in his room he headed for the shower. A quick glance around told him that Natalie and Dan hadn't returned yet, but he figured they would be here soon with his requested items. They _had_ left directly after the show after all, almost an hour ago.

Their timing ended up being perfect. Jonah was exiting the bathroom when he heard the knock on the door, and opened it to see the two standing there.

"Come in. Did ya get everything okay?"

"Let's see," Dan glanced at the items in their hand. "Food, candles, flowers…"

"Yes we did," Natalie interjected, placing her bags on the table. "You owe me a pair of shoes by the way. The street in front of the store was simply _revolting._ "

"You got it," Jonah promised, ignoring Dan's eye roll. "Thanks, both of you. I owe you big."

"I just want the details later," Natalie smirked. Then she added, "Oh, I talked to Amy and here's what we're going to do. I plan to be so dramatic that Sinead forgets to take her overnight bag when she goes back with me. Once we leave, Amy will volunteer to take it to us. She'll bring it here of course. And I'll stall Sinead for around five minutes so you will have an idea of how much time you have."

Jonah nodded. "Okay. So when Amy shows up, that's my warning pretty much."

"Yes."

After thanking them both again, Jonah got started. Looking at the clock, he saw that he only had about forty minutes to get everything ready.

 _Crud, I need to hurry._

While he started boiling the water for the pasta dish he was planning—his girlfriend's favorite—he tried not to think of what her reaction might be when he asked her to stay tonight. If Ian, Dan and Natalie's reactions were any indication, there was no telling what Sinead would think.

 _ **Flashback**_

" _Uh, I might need cover until the morning."_

 _Natalie halted mid-sentence, her gaze flying to his. It only took seconds for a smirk to form on her face. Ian and Dan on the other hand, looked like they wanted to be anywhere but here._

" _Not like that!" Jonah said hastily. "But"—he swallowed—"I wanna have more time with her. Ya know, since after noon tomorrow I won't see here for a while. I figured we could chill in my room and talk."_

" _You don't have to explain anymore," Dan inserted, relief on his face. "We'll do whatever you need us to do."_

 _ **End Flashback**_

Jonah _seriously_ owed them. Natalie even informed him right before the show via text message that Sinead had received a phone call about Ned having a bad seizure. He was surprised that his girlfriend hadn't said anything to him, but planned to bring it up later, if only to make sure that she was okay. He knew the close bond she had with her brothers—envied it even, since he had no siblings of his own—and it made him want to make this night even more special for her.

 _I just hope Sinead gets here and can stay through the morning without the wrong people noticing._

Dominic was supposed to be helping in that area too, especially in the morning with sneaking Sinead out of his room, but Jonah knew that sometimes plans fell through.

He concentrated on hurrying, and when Amy appeared at the door he was ready. Jonah took the bag from her, stuck it out of the way in a closet, then surveyed the room to make sure everything was in place.

His room was really big this time, something that had triggered the idea this afternoon. Equipped with a kitchen _and_ a private balcony, it was the perfect place for a secret date. Jonah had the lights off and candles lit in the entire room where Sinead would walk in, but the real surprise was outside.

There was a small table on the balcony, and though it wasn't fancy, Jonah had Natalie buy a tablecloth and nice linens to dress it up. In contrast, the dishes he made were simple, but Jonah knew Sinead wouldn't care. He knew in fact, that she wouldn't even care about the other stuff—like the bouquet of flowers gracing the table and the soft music coming from the speakers—but he still wanted to do it.

 _I want her to know that I appreciate her. It's not fun to sneak around—though we're really doing it for_ _ **her**_ _sake—but she still has had to deal with my schedule this week. And I want her to know that she's worth the effort._

Just then, he heard footsteps outside the door and then another light knock. His heart beating in anticipation, he opened it.

Sinead was standing there, confusion written all over her face. It only grew as Natalie chirped, "Suddenly I feel better. I'll just go back to the room."

They both watched her go, then Jonah backed up and motioned his girlfriend inside. She walked in without hesitation, but halted as he closed the door, gaping around the room.

"What is all of this?"

"Our midnight date," he announced, barely holding back the grin. "Come on."

Without waiting for a reply, he took her hand and led her through the room and out on the balcony.

He turned to see her reaction before he said anything else though, and she didn't disappoint. Currently, her green eyes were blinking at the table, taking in the decor, then they darted over to the speakers where the music was coming from, then they met his.

"Jonah…" her voice was nearly a whisper. "You did all of this? For me?"

"Yep. Well," he amended, "With the show and all, I had to enlist some help. Dan and Natalie went to the store for me and some of the others are covering so this stays a secret, but yeah."

He took advantage of her stunned state to take the few steps to her chair to pull it out for her. She didn't even shoot him an annoyed look at the move, just came over and sat down like she was in a daze.

 _She probably is,_ he thought smugly, proud of how he had pulled everything off. But out loud he said. "I forgot something. Hang on."

There wasn't much room on the table so Jonah had already prepared their plates. But he forgot the drinks on the bar in the kitchen, and now hastened to get them. Natalie hadn't been able to find the brand of wine he had requested, but told him what she got instead was simply 'exquisite'. He hoped she was right.

When he came back, it seemed like Sinead had snapped out of it. Right after he sat their glasses on the table, she spoke. "These are my favorite dishes. Did you cook everything?"

"Yep again." He let out a little laugh. "And I know your favorites babe. You've told me before."

She grinned—the action making her face glow—and Jonah saw her look around again. "Wow. This is really nice Jonah. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He held her gaze, hoping that she wouldn't brush off his words, or think that they were too sappy. "You're worth all of it." Then he sighed. "I hate that we have to stay in, but"—

Her voice cut him off, direct and firm. "Are you kidding me? Don't you _dare_ feel bad. You're probably exhausted after doing your show, but you still cooked and went to all of this effort"—she paused to take a deep breath—"for us to have a date and spend time alone together." Her voice dropped to a whisper again. "I seriously don't know what to say besides that you're amazing. And I think we should start eating before I get emotional."

She ended with a laugh, though Jonah thought she might be serious. But her voicing what she _had_ was enough. Shooting her a grin, he nodded his agreement.

The subject changed to other things after that, but neither of them brought up Sinead's leaving the next morning. It was something that Jonah didn't want to think about, not now anyways.

"I feel bad about Natalie missing the sleepover," Sinead said suddenly. "Unless she thought of a way to go back without blowing our cover."

Jonah smirked. "Dan has that covered."

His girlfriend's brow furrowed, then her face took on a wary expression. "Should I even ask?"

"It's actually something sweet. For him anyways," Jonah admitted. "Natalie insisted that sleepovers weren't her thing and she would be perfectly happy in the room, but Dan told _me_ "—he leaned in like he was sharing a major secret—"he was going to surprise her by taking her out somewhere."

"Oh wow," Sinead said, her voice stunned. "That _is_ sweet. Do you know where they went?"

"No. I was sorta busy with stuff at the moment and didn't think to ask."

"Hmm, I suppose I can forgive you." She sent him a wink, and he chuckled.

"Lucky me. I would hate to be on the wrong end of your wrath. I've already experienced enough of that since we've been dating—even longer than that come to think of it."

Her eyes narrowed, but he busied himself with taking their empty glasses and standing. "I'll go refill our drinks."

She sighed, but didn't call him out for retreating.

—

Sinead sipped the wine Jonah just brought her, but wasn't really thinking about the taste of it. Instead, she studied her boyfriend as he concentrated on eating. While she had told him she didn't want to get emotional, she was a mess right now.

 _It's a good thing I'm playing it off. I can't believe I almost cried earlier._

It had been when he first brought her out here—when she realized how much effort he had went to setting all of this up—but his going back inside to get their drinks had given her the chance to fight against the tears that sprung to her eyes. Sinead knew that a reaction was expected, but she _hated_ crying, and rarely did so.

 _Well, until he came along anyways._ Her thoughts went back to the past couple of months, a smile spreading on her face as she remembered certain scenes, like Jonah flying her back to Boston when she was so upset, her crying right before she confessed her feelings, and on and on.

"What are you thinking about?"

Sinead jerked her head up and met her boyfriend's curious eyes.

"Uh, nothing."

She picked up her glass and looked out over the balcony. The darkness cloaked them for the most part. Even with candles lit all around them it would be impossible to make out their faces from the street—the only place they could be spotted from.

"I don't believe you."

Pausing mid-sip, she debated telling him her thoughts. Deciding on a watered-down version, she placed her glass down and said, "I was thinking about the time you flew me back to Boston. You know, back when I was acting like a jerk around you."

Jonah frowned at her, but then seemed to change emotions, his face easing. "That was a crazy time. And just look at us now."

"I know," she muttered, looking from his piercing gaze to the street again. "Here we are, on a midnight date right in the middle of your tour, in Hong Kong of all places."

She felt his hand rest on hers. "It's funny how life works out isn't it?" he mused.

When Sinead looked at him, she almost expected him to be looking out at the street too. But his eyes were on her, his gaze intense. Swallowing, she waited, but Jonah abruptly looked down.

Not knowing what to say, she had another thought.

 _We just ate garlic. And what if he tries to kiss me or something? I don't even have my purse with me._

Natalie had mentioned earlier—when she made up the story about going to get medicine from Dan—that Sinead might want to take her phone along, but that was the only object the Ekat had with her.

Turning to Jonah now, she made her voice nonchalant. Or she tried to at least.

"Uh, do you have any gum?"

—

Natalie was confused. Only minutes after she arrived back in her room with plans of relaxing in her head, Dan sent her a text that read: **hey, need your help with something. sneak down to the lobby and meet me by the back door we used earlier to bring the stuff in.**

She had replied back, enquiring why, but never received a response. Now she was right outside the door, looking out into the darkness, but her boyfriend was nowhere in sight.

Letting out a breath, she wondered if she should feel annoyed or worried. Surely it wasn't anything—

"Hey."

Jumping at the voice behind her, she turned to see that it was Dan.

"You frightened me! What is going on?" she demanded.

He only grinned at her. Then his hand shot out and took hers. "We're about to go on a mission."

"A mission?" she repeated, doubt in her voice. Natalie had already completed her part of the plan tonight, safely delivering Sinead to Jonah's room. Narrowing her eyes as Dan's face grew even _more_ mischievous, she wondered yet again how she should feel.

"Do you trust me?"

That gave her pause. Dan halted too, his eyes boring into hers. They still held mischief, a look that Natalie secretly _loved_ on him—who didn't love a dimpled, lit-up faced, gleaming green-eyed Dan after all?—but he also seemed serious.

"Of course I do," she stated quietly.

"Then come on. Don't be a stick-in-the-mud."

At her glare, he added sweetly, "I promise you'll love it."

She supposed she would have to take his word for it

—

"So Amy," Talisa spoke up, her sharp eyes catching Amy's as she opened another bag of chips. "What's the dirt on you and the British hottie?"

Amy almost spewed her drink, but ended up holding it in. Blinking, she scrambled for something to satisfy the curious looks now going around the room.

 _Thanks a lot Talisa,_ she wanted to say, but managed a, "What are you talking about?"

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Please. There's so much sexual tension between you two that even Broderick has probably picked up on it."

Wincing at the visual, Amy turned to Amber for help. But she was staring back at her as if waiting for an explanation also.

Amy tried again. "Ian and I have known each other for a while but have never gotten along. That's probably what you're 'picking up' on."

Firmness radiated from her voice, but it was met with skepticism.

Cassie spoke up next. She struck Amy as the quiet and shy type, but she was now shooting Talisa a warning look. "It's really none of our business you know."

Amy wanted to hug her, but instead stood from her chair and stated "I'm going to go change into my pajamas."

Once she was safely in the bathroom, she closed her eyes and cursed Sinead for not being there. Or even Natalie. Surely the subject wouldn't have been raised with Ian's sister in the room. But currently, both of her friends were on dates.

She fought against the feeling of jealousy, not having the emotional strength for a pity-party right now.

 _You're having a girl's night with some really cool people that you probably will rarely see after this. Just avoid talking about guys and enjoy your time._

It was easier said than done, but she managed to get through the next few hours without any mention of her love life, until once again, Talisa asked her a question.

"So, I won't bug you about Ian anymore," she said. "But I have to ask you this."

Amy braced herself, even when Talisa added, "You don't have to answer."

"What?" she asked warily, her guard instantly going up.

"What do you think about Dominic?"

Amy didn't even hesitate. "He's cool sometimes, but he plays around too much. Definitely not."

Disappointment flew across Talisa's _and_ some of the other girls' faces too, but Amy turned away. It was probably mean, but she didn't care. Dominic might be someone Jonah trusted and was nice and cool when he wanted to be, but he had a lot of growing up to do.

"He's not as bad as he makes himself out to be," Amber said softly.

If it had come from anyone else, Amy would have had a sarcastic retort. But something in the dancer's tone made her ask, "What do you mean?"

She saw a few glances being exchanged. No one spoke though, and Amy was about to repeat her question when Elise said, "You should ask him sometime. It's personal, but he puts on a front. Trust me on this one."

Frowning, Amy remembered Sinead's words from a few days ago _"He's all talk, trust me"_ and _"...I can't see him willingly breaking hearts without a thought."_

At the time, Amy figured Sinead was just saying that. But had her Ekaterina cousin picked up on something? Surely she would have told Amy if she had _known_ something specific. It was probably just intuition. Like the redhead always said, _'It's easier to pick up on things when you're on the outside. That's why you and I have to stick together.'_ It had worked so far, with Amy helping her with Jonah back in the summer, then Sinead turning around and giving her advice on Ian.

And to be fair, Amy knew that people could be more than what they appeared on the surface. Hadn't the Clue hunt taught her that much?

"We aren't close enough for me to ask him anything like that," she said finally. "But I'll keep that in mind."

It was a lie, but she wanted off of the uncomfortable subject. Luckily Amber must have picked up on it, because she nodded.

"I totally understand. Okay, so now what? Sleep is out of the question until at least four a.m." She checked her phone. "We still have two hours!"

They began arguing over what to do, but Amy didn't join in, her head now whirling with what possible reason Dominic had for acting the way he did.

—

Dan liked adventure, excitement, video games, collecting cool things, and more adventure.

His girlfriend liked shopping, fine dining, makeup, keeping her clothes and shoes clean, and routine.

Sometimes, those little facts and traits made it hard when it came to things like going out on dates. There was a lot of compromise and give-and-take in their relationship. _This_ time though, Dan felt that he had done a pretty good job of finding something they both would enjoy.

"This is so _nice._ " Natalie surveyed the lavish interior of the helicopter with a look of surprise.

Dan tried to keep the smug look off of his face but it was hard. Natalie Kabra was the toughest person in the universe to impress, so most of the time he didn't try too hard, knowing that loving her was far better than impressing her—especially given the way she was raised. But it was still a nice feeling to watch her eyes dart around to examine the surroundings, a large smile gracing her face.

She turned though after a few seconds, bombarding him with questions. "We're riding in this? In the middle of the night? For how long?"

He met her gaze, grinning. "Yes. Yes. I got it for two hours. _And_ "—he paused for the dramatic effect—"there's another surprise. Sit down and close your eyes."

She frowned but did so. He waited until she was still, checked to make sure she wasn't peeking, then reached over her head and opened a compartment, relief hitting him when the contents were there.

 _Jonah's not the_ _ **only**_ _one who knows how to be romantic._

He arranged the items—Natalie's favorite brand of champagne (non-alcoholic of course), favorite seafood, a single red rose—and then said, "Okay, you can open them now."

Her eyes fluttered open, then widened as she took in what was spread out on the table between the seats.

There wasn't much room in the helicopter but Dan felt pleased with himself, _especially_ when Natalie leaned over suddenly and kissed him.

Closing his eyes, he cupped her cheek, savoring the feeling of her soft lips against his.

 _Warm...nice...sweet...hey, where'd she—_ his eyes snapped open, a frown on his face, but she was smirking.

"I'm famished." Her voice was cheerful. "But we can pick it up later."

Dan laughed at her wink. "Okay," he agreed, eyeing the food too. With that promise, he guessed he would be okay.

 _Man. Who ever thought I would be so infatuated with someone that I would prefer kissing over food? Most people probably wouldn't believe it._

As he glanced at his girlfriend again, he decided that the blame could be put at her feet. It wasn't _his_ fault after all that she was so beautiful and poised, that she made him smile, that she intrigued him so much, that he felt so _alive_ around her.

 _It had to be some Lucian spell or something she has me under. That would explain it._

But hey, spells weren't always so bad.

—

"How come you didn't tell me 'bout Ned?"

Sinead paused, surprised that Jonah knew. They finished cleaning up the dishes a few minutes ago, and had been lying on Jonah's bed since then just talking.

"Ned?"

"Natalie mentioned to me earlier that Ned had a seizure this afternoon."

"Oh." She looked down at the comforter, wondering if he was upset. "Um, well it was two hours before your show started so I didn't want to bug you with it."

"Sinead." Now she could hear the mild rebuke in his tone. "I'm never too busy for stuff like that. _Especially_ stuff like that. Are you okay?"

He didn't ask if Ned was, so Sinead figured Natalie already filled him in on that part. Shrugging and still not meeting his eyes, she mumbled, "Yeah. I'd rather not talk about it though. I've been trying not to think about it."

She felt herself being pulled up against his chest. Before she had been lying in front of him, their arms barely touching. But she enjoyed the contact now, particularly knowing that Jonah meant it to be a comforting gesture.

"But thanks for asking," she added, shifting her head to rest on his shoulder.

"Anytime. You know I'm here for ya."

Sinead tilted her head so she could look at him. "I know." She couldn't resist adding, "you're so sweet Jonah."

He smiled down at her, but his reply was, "Don't let that fact get around, okay? It would ruin my rep."

She eyed him but he looked serious. He probably was, come to think of it. Fighting the impulse to tell him that he shouldn't care, she thought of her own dilemma in a similar area. Wasn't she the one always worried that others would see her as being too soft or clingy?

"Fine."

They went back to cuddling on the bed for a few minutes, before Jonah spoke again. "You should stay here tonight."

Immediately she froze, and then hated herself for reacting—especially when her boyfriend laughed lightly. "We don't have to do anything. It's just…"

When she looked up, he was frowning in the direction of the window.

"It's just what?" she whispered.

"If you go back to your room we're only going to have the morning together," he said, his voice dropping too. "It probably sounds pathetic, but I wanna have more than that."

Sinead studied him, her heart pounding in her chest. Shewanted to stay too, but at the same time she wasn't ready for anything more. And she was afraid that if she _did_ give in, something might happen.

"Promise me that we won't do more than make out and I'll stay."

She almost felt bad making him swear, but the way his face lit up at her answer took the guilt away.

"Promise," he said as he reached for her.

But she backed up. "I need some things from my room. I'll be back."

"Your bag's in the closet. Amy brought it over after you and Natalie left the sleepover."

His statement made her halt. "Wait, you planned this?"

She caught the uneasy look on Jonah's face before he looked down.

"Not really. I wasn't sure if you would stay. But if ya said yes I didn't want you to get caught getting your stuff from your room."

"Hmm." Sinead kept her eyes on him. Was he nervous? It was a rare look on him, and sort of cute. "That was pretty smart thinking for someone who claims to be bad at planning. I'm proud of you."

His facial expression was stunned when he finally raised his head up. "Really?"

Laughing, she reached over and touched his cheek, her heart skipping at the contact. "Really."

"Hey"—a smirk grazed his lips—"isn't it you who is always tells me 'you never know'? I'm just tryin' to be like you."

"Using my own words against me now huh?"

The smirk stayed on his face. "You know it."

Before she could give in the impulse to kiss him, he rose. "Now that _that's_ all settled, I'm gonna go change."

"Okay. I'll change clothes too, so say something before you come out."

His eyes darted over to her and he opened his mouth, but seemed to change his mind at her glare.

Once he was safely in the bathroom, Sinead darted over to the closet and sure enough, there was her bag. She shook her head, but quickly found her pajamas and put them on.

 _I'm so glad I chose this outfit to take,_ she thought, glancing down at her ensemble: Shorts that weren't _too_ short and a band t-shirt. Simple, cute, not overly revealing, but not grandma-looking either. Perfect.

Jonah came out only minutes later, opening the door at the same time he said "this is your warning."

Rolling her eyes, she brushed past him with her bag, muttering, "You could have seen me naked with that kind of warning."

"Exactly."

It was a good thing she was already in and closing the door or he would have caught her blush.

 _I did kind of set myself up for that one though._

She turned her focus to brushing her teeth and removing her makeup, then gave herself a pep talk before exiting back into the room. Nerves were probably normal. She would be _sleeping_ by him after all and was self-conscience about it, even though she knew it probably wasn't a big deal to him.

Sinead hadn't caught what Jonah was wearing in her hurry to get into the bathroom, but studied him now. He was wearing shorts too and a wife-beater, drawing her attention to his tattoo. She had seen it before but had never really _looked_ at it, since back then she had been busy talking herself out of her attraction to him. Jonah was fiddling with something by the bed, so she peered at his arm more closely, trying to be discreet.

The tattoo was an interloop of two different symbols. One was the Janus mascot—she had caught that back when she first saw the mark—but the other one was puzzling. It was an anchor, but designed creatively and not like one she had ever seen before, with the top curving into a musical symbol: the treble clef. But there were other things woven in too.

If she could just get closer—

"Like what you see?"

Sinead smiled, her eyes still glued to his arm, but asked softly, "What does the symbol mean?"

There was no answer, and when she back at him, he was looking down, a slight frown on his face.

"You don't have to tell me," she said quickly, suddenly wondering if she had asked the wrong thing. His brown eyes met hers, but there wasn't any negative emotion in them so she relaxed.

"I got this when I started seeing my counselor. You know, after…" he trailed, inhaled a breath, and then sat down on the bed. She joined him, crossing her legs and facing him as he continued. "Well, you know. Anyways, the one symbol is obvious, the Janus emblem. But the anchor is to remind me that I have to stay grounded. Not just for my branch's sake, or my fan's sake, or even my family or friend's, but also for myself and my music. I can't go back to that dark place, ever."

His voice, which started off casual, had turned almost sad as he spoke. Before Sinead knew what she was doing, she was leaning over, her fingers already reaching out to touch the mark. When Jonah didn't protest or react, she inspected it even more, with both her eyes and her touch.

"I like it," she said, feeling the need to fill the silence.

What she _really_ wanted to do was to brush her lips over it, but that would be weird, so she glanced up at Jonah instead. He was looking back at her, a smile etched on his face.

"What?"

"You're adorable."

Before she could question _that_ statement, he was cupping her face in his hands and kissing her. She returned it eagerly, and it was a few minutes before they pulled back, breathless.

Jonah's eyes lingered on her face, before he leaned forward suddenly. Sinead thought he was going to kiss her again. Instead he murmured in her ear, "Do _you_ have any tattoos?"

"No," she replied, unable to think of anything but his hot breath on her neck.

"Hmm too bad. I was gonna ask to see them."

His lips moved to the skin right below her ear, and she let out a little sigh, closing her eyes.

"Do ya like that spot?" Jonah asked, a smile in his voice.

Not wanting to answer—feeling embarrassed for some reason—Sinead kept her lips sealed. Then she felt his lips on her jaw, "Or is _this_ your favorite spot? Or here?" he added, moving to her throat.

When she still didn't say anything, his voice dropped to a growl. "You better tell me."

' _What are you going to do if I don't?'_ she wanted to ask, but couldn't find her voice.

"Fine. I'll just hafta figure it out myself then," he breathed, his lips still near her neck. Sinead shivered, but it had nothing to do with the temperature in the room. Her heart was beating so fast she thought he could surely hear it. But he was kissing her neck again, trailing his lips all over her skin until she couldn't think anymore.

Then he bit down, right at the spot she had sighed over earlier, and she involuntarily let out a tiny gasp. Up until this point her pride had been keeping her lips sealed, but she couldn't help that one.

"So there it is," she heard her boyfriend whisper, but then he was kissing her softly, before going back to biting, then switching between the two until Sinead's head was spinning.

The logical side of her had _no_ idea how she could be feeling so much pleasure just from the simple gestures, but once again logic fled, and this time, it was because she felt his tongue flicking over her skin. She let out a faint moan, then stiffened, mortification flooding her. Sure that she was blushing, she tried to pull away, only Jonah held her there.

"Hey, it's okay," he said, his voice calm. "It's supposed to feel good."

Sinead met his eyes, relaxing when she saw the reassurance in his gaze. Still, the embarrassment lingered, evaporating the mood. Jonah must have felt the same way—or more than likely sensed _her_ mood—because he let out a little sigh and scooted back. He grazed her cheek with his hand though mid-movement, so Sinead knew he wasn't upset.

"Wanna watch a movie? Or we could just talk some more."

She paused, weighing both options. A movie would be good for her now-mushy brain, but after tomorrow morning it would be a long while before she could talk to him face to face again.

"Let's talk," she said, flopping over on her side but keeping her gaze on his face. "I want to know more about you when you were younger. What was the ten-year old Jonah Wizard like?"

Jonah grimaced, but nodded. "Only if you tell me more about you as a kid though."

"Deal."

* * *

 **That still fell under a 'T' rating right? ;)**

 **Soooo….there are actually only 2 chapters left of this. Hold tight, the action is coming! ;D**


	16. Chapter 15

**So I feel the need to explain something in this chapter. There is only one chapter after this (Well, kind of like an epilogue). Originally, this story was going to be about 25 chapters, and was going to include things like Jonead's relationship being leaked, family drama, and Christmas at the Kabra's house, only I kind of am taking things in a different direction (with planning the Vesper stuff) so I changed some things. ALL OF THAT BEING SAID, the scene between Sinead and Jonah might seem** **really** **serious for only two months of dating, but originally it was supposed to take place way down the road. But I need this to happen for the title and summary of this story to make sense lol...(None of this will probably make sense until you read, but just know that I'm kind of condensing some things...so yeah...hopefully it's still realistic.)**

 **Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

Amy couldn't sleep. It was almost four am and everyone else had crashed, but she kept tossing and turning, her thoughts a whirl—much like they had been the last couple of days. _This_ time though, thoughts of a Vesper attack kept flying through her brain. What if they somehow got to Nellie, who was currently on vacation with her family? What if they attacked Attleboro where Fiske was?

 _I'll be home tomorrow. Until then, I need to figure out these symbols._

Restless, she reached for her phone, once again pouring over the group of symbols that no one could figure out. They looked ancient but modern at the same time, like a tattoo you would find on someone's arm. Then, there was a random symbol, right in the middle of the ones that Google had never heard of: The Caduceus, a short staff with two serpents looped around it. It made no sense, pointed to no apparent location, or helped decipher the symbols surrounding it. In short, it had them all stumped.

 _Come on, think Amy! There has to be something here that will help._

Even though she and Sinead had already looked up 'The Caduceus' earlier, she punched it in Google again. Tons of articles popped up and she scanned through them, but nothing stood out. Then, just as her eyes were closing, she read this: _"…the caduceus provides the base of the astrological symbol representing Mercury, the planet. (is also can be likened to the elemental metal of the same name.)"_

 _Mercury._

One of the clues, formerly only known to the Ekaterinas, but what could it mean? Was there any connection? After about twenty minutes of trying to find a link and failing, Amy gave up and decided to call it a night.

Tomorrow on the plane, she, Dan, and Sinead could try to tackle it, together. _And_ she could ask her Ekat cousin if she knew any additional information.

—

Sinead and Jonah had talked for a couple of hours, but it somehow had turned into a make out session, _again._ In the back of Sinead's mind, she gave herself a lecture for being so 'teenager-ish', even though she still was technically a teen. She and Jonah both were, at least for another year. But geez, did she have it that bad for him?

 _Yes_ , her brain lectured her as she moved her head to the side to make room for Jonah's lips, which he was trailing up her neck. _You do. He's turned you into a total sucker._

Still, it wasn't totally a bad thing. Though Jonah was currently kissing her like she was his oxygen, he was being respectful of the unspoken boundaries she had set, not even making a move to remove any articles of clothing, and not touching her in any off-limit places.

But then, just as Sinead's thoughts started to go hazy with the way her boyfriend was making her _feel_ , his hands went under her shirt. It was only her waist, but instantly Sinead stiffened, knowing that he was only centimeters away from the scars that were on her side—the scars that (with the exception of herself) only Ned and Ted knew about.

Before she knew it she was back against the headboard, sitting up, her hands pulling down on her shirt. It was a pointless gesture—he hadn't moved it up or anything—but it made her feel better.

Jonah almost fell from her sudden move but caught himself, and she could see the surprise on his face before he looked at her, confused.

"I'm sorry," she gasped out, closing her eyes, trying to calm down. Her heart was racing, her skin clammy, and though she felt like she probably was overreacting, she couldn't help it. This was something personal to her, something she'd never even shared with _Amy_ , who was like a sister to her.

 _What's wrong with you? Stop freaking out or he'll think you're completely insane._

She opened her eyes to see that Jonah was sitting up now too, but he was looking at the wall, studying it intently. Shifting a little so she could try to see his expression, she took in the tenseness of his jaw and the guarded look in his eyes and knew immediately that she had hurt his feelings.

"Jonah, look at me," she whispered, hating herself for putting that look on his face. At the same time, she didn't want to reveal the real reason she pulled away.

He looked at her but his eyes were still expressionless, and she swallowed, searching for words.

"It's not you, I promise." When he didn't respond she closed her eyes and said again, "I'm sorry."

She could hear the self-loathing in her voice, and he must have heard it too because she heard him move closer and then his arms were wrapping lightly around her.

"Hey, it's okay," he said, but she kept her eyes closed, feeling the tears welling up in them.

 _Don't be a baby. Tears will make him really suspicious. You never cry._

Pushing the emotion down, she waited until she felt in control again and opened her eyes.

Jonah was staring at her, an understanding look on his face.

"I get it babe. I didn't mean to cross any boundaries so _I'm_ sorry."

Now she could see the guilt in his eyes and felt worse. Suddenly, she knew she had to come clean, no matter how uncomfortable the subject was.

"It's not that exactly," she whispered. Then, not being able to hold his eyes, she scooted out of his embrace and gazed down at the comforter. "Um, it's my scars."

There was a long pause, and when she gathered enough courage to look up at him, she was met with confusion.

"Your scars?"

Biting her lip, Sinead looked at a wall sconce past his head and said quickly, "From the explosion. They aren't just on my arms. They're all over my side too, and they're a lot worse than…" she trailed, trying not to think about the deep, ugly, red marks that were etched on her skin. Everyone knew about the minor ones on her arm—had even commented that she had gotten off easier than her brothers, not knowing that lurking deeper underneath her clothes were the ones that had been so painful, and definitely more difficult to recover from.

"Do they hurt if someone touches them? Is that why ya pulled back like that?"

Now Sinead's eyes snapped to Jonah's. Not only did he not seem fazed by her confession, but he still didn't seem to _get_ it.

"Wait," he went on, his brow furrowing. "Didn't you tell me in Bora Bora that they didn't hurt anymore?"

Now it seemed like he was waiting for her to explain.

"No, I mean yes, they don't hurt. I just...well, I wasn't sure how you would react," she said slowly, and watched the confusion in his brown eyes turn to realization.

"You thought I would be surprised?" he guessed. "Or turned off?"

Sinead was watching him warily, and didn't answer. She wasn't sure _what_ to say, because she still didn't know how he felt about it, or how he _would_ feel about it. He had a public image to uphold after all, and if the press ever found out...

Amusement definitely wasn't the emotion she was expecting. As her boyfriend let out a chuckle, she gaped at him.

"Sinead," he said through his laughter, which was growing. "You really thought I would react badly?"

"Well yeah," she growled, not sure if she was more annoyed at him for laughing or for being so dang flippant about it. "They're _bad_ Jonah. So excuse me for being embarrassed about them!"

He instantly stopped laughing. Instead, a frown crossed his face as he reached for her hands.

Sinead let him take them, but moved her head to the side where she wouldn't have to look at him. She _hated_ how insecure she felt right now. Normally she wasn't, and it was unnerving. Was it because she wasn't used to opening up like this? Even though Jonah was her boyfriend, she felt like this was too personal, that it was too soon in their relationship for—

"Yo, that wasn't what I meant." His voice was soothing, automatically causing her to relax. "I was laughing because there is no possible way I could be turned off, especially over something like that. Baby, you should know by now how attracted I am to you."

Uncertainty still channeled through her, until she met his eyes again and saw the transparency in them. Swallowing hard, the move burning her throat, she murmured, "Really?"

The look he gave her in return made her blush, but she held his gaze. "You haven't seen them though."

"I don't have to see them to know that you're still beautiful. And brave, for surviving through that and then being strong enough to help your brothers. You should be proud, not embarrassed."

She _was_ embarrassed. But now, it was because he called her beautiful. And brave. Warmth took over her, replacing all of the negative emotions she had just been feeling. She almost felt…. _giddy._

Jonah was still talking. "They're like battle wounds. Don't be insecure about them."

"I guess I've never looked at it that way," she admitted, while telling herself to get a grip. "I've always seen them as a reminder of how evil the Cahills can be, how my brothers are still suffering, and how I still haven't found a way to help them."

Her boyfriend was quiet for a long moment, then he spoke, breaking into her gloom. "Can I see 'em?"

She jerked her head up to look at him, alarm flaring in her chest, almost constricting her airway. He must have seen it on her face because he held up his hands. "You can say no. But Sinead, I want you to know that you can trust me."

 _Trust_

A word Sinead didn't take lightly. A word that was sometimes harder for her to say than the 'L' word.

Did she trust him? Her automatic response was 'yes', but to show him the part of her that she hated…

She made a snap decision and without saying a word, slowly lifted her shirt on her right side, stopping right above her ribcage. It was hard, but she made herself keep looking at him, gauging his reaction, waiting to see a trace of revulsion…

Instead his gaze (which had been steady to start with) didn't change as he moved his eyes over her scars. Then, he reached his fingers out and lightly brushed her skin, and Sinead felt her gaze soften even as she felt her barriers do the same.

Before she could say anything though, he was kissing her, his hands still running over her side.

Sinead wanted to cry. She wanted to grin, and laugh and shake her head in wonder that he didn't seem to _care._

 _I don't care anymore either. I don't care about_ _ **anything**_ _, except that he's touching me. Thinking is overrated anyways._

"Nope," Jonah suddenly stated through kisses. "Not a turn-off at all."

Sinead laughed, forcing him to move his head back. He grinned in response, and something inside of her turned to a puddle.

 _Great, he's doing it again. Be strong Sinead, don't let on to how horribly mushy you feel._

"I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you."

 _Or_ be totally and completely honest without meaning to. As soon as the words were released into the air, Sinead was cursing herself.

Within seconds she was standing up by the bed, staring down at him, hoping that he couldn't sense her panic. While they both had confessed a few days ago that they _thought_ they were falling in love, what she had stated seemed different somehow.

"I didn't mean to say that," she whispered.

Jonah's face was impassive as he looked back. "You didn't?"

Closing her eyes, she answered, "I don't know. I mean, we've only been dating for _two_ months Jonah! How can I feel this strongly? I've never…"

"...been in love?" Jonah finished her question. "Me either."

The honesty of his tone made her snap her eyes open to search his. "You haven't?"

"Before now, no."

The implications sent her heart into a flutter of emotions, and a smile crossed her face. "Oh. So um, y-you feel the same way, about me?"

"Yep." His dark eyes never left hers, and she saw a smile start to form on his lips too. "And I know, two months seems soon. But you hafta admit, we've talked constantly, gotten to know each other. And love isn't always the same you know. It can be that fast. It can be sudden. But that doesn't mean that it's not real."

"Is that the Janus in you talking right now?" she joked, but she was serious in a way.

"No, though I have been known to get pretty poetic." Jonah smirked, before his eyes went back to calculating. "You trying to put your feelings into a logical bubble...is that the Ekat in you?"

Sinead pursed her lips, wanting to protest, but knew it was an honest question. "Probably," she conceded. "I'm not good with emotions. It's even worse when I can't figure them out."

"I have an idea."

She looked at him, but couldn't tell anything from his expression. "What?"

"We're gonna see each other in a month, right? At Thanksgiving?"

Sinead hesitated. The original plan was to reveal their relationship to her family then, with Jonah showing up for dinner, but she still wasn't keen on it. It had to happen sooner or later though. "Yes. For only one day though."

"Yeah it sucks. But then we'll be together at the Kabra New Year's party for longer."

"True," she stated, while trying to figure out what he was getting at.

"Let's talk more then, instead of stressing out tryin' to label how we feel. In the meantime, we can just keep on with texting and video calls and stuff."

Relief hit her like a bullet. "That sounds like a plan."

Then she frowned and said grudgingly, "How is it that you're the one that has come up with all of the great ideas lately?"

Her boyfriend shrugged, and gave her a modest look. Or more like, what he _thought_ was a modest look. Sinead could see his ego shining through it.

"Well, I _have_ been hanging out with a pretty organized lady. She's a good influence I guess."

Rolling her eyes, Sinead sat back down on the bed and shot back, "I see. Should I be jealous?"

He only laughed, then pulled her up against him again. "I think it's time to watch that movie. We're starting on a dangerous subject."

—

Sleep had been a good idea, only it never came. Amy just couldn't shut off her mind. Finally, when the clock blazed 5:00am, she decided that she'd had enough.

Throwing her clothes from the previous day on over her pajamas, she crept silently to the door and eased out into the hallway. She didn't know exactly where she was going, but she needed a breather.

As she made her way down the hall, she remembered spotting some vending machines down at the end, around a corner. Perfect. She had some change in her pocket from yesterday—

A shadow could be seen on the wall as she got closer, tall and somehow menacing in the dimly lit hallway, and she froze.

How many people would have a reason to be out here at this time? While it could be a random person, what if it was a Vesper agent? Why hadn't she brought something with her that would work as a weapon, or at least her cell phone?

Not sure what to do, she stayed there for a beat, but when the shadow moved abruptly, she propelled backwards, willing herself to not panic. If she could ease back far enough she would hit the middle of the hallway, where the door to the staircase was. Then she could run for it.

The figure suddenly appeared, but the shadows concealed his face. Biting back a scream, Amy was just about to turn and make a mad dash when she caught the custom-made, one-of-a-kind shoes the person was wearing—shoes that could only belong to one person.

"Ian?" she hissed, feeling both relieved and stupid.

The figured stilled. "Amy?"

Yes, it was definitely him. He stepped out, and the light reflected off his attractive face, which Amy could see was contoured in confusion. "What are you doing?"

Then she realized how she must look to him.

Though she had halted when she realized it was him, her arms were still up in a self-defense position. Immediately she let them drop, but then noticed with horror that her batman pajamas were showing underneath her shirt, and she hadn't even spared a look at her hair, which she knew was probably a royal _mess._

She wanted to run, but managed to keep her facial expression even. "I'm getting a snack. Excuse me."

With those words, she tried to walk past him, but his hand shot out and grabbed her arm. It was like a blaze of heat shot up her arm, warming the rest of her body, and once again she froze.

"Wh-what?" she stammered, then cleared her throat and tried again. "What do you want?"

"I want to talk to you."

"I think we've both already said enough this week."

She shook him off and heard him let out an annoyed breath, and it was all she could do to not turn and give him a smug look.

"Amy, please."

At the note of desperation in his voice, she glanced up. His eyes were sad, apologetic, and with it, all traces of smugness vanished.

"What?" she repeated, but softly this time.

"Look, I-I…"

Was Ian Kabra _stammering?_ Amy was amazed, but kept silent as she watched him try to talk. It was sort of cute the way he suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry. And...well...you were right."

"About…?" she prompted, while trying to push down the feelings that were rising in her, the feelings that _always_ flared up in her when she was around him.

"About what you said that day during Jonah's video shoot, about me living a lie."

It felt like her heart stopped with those words. She swallowed and tried to respond, but Ian was still talking. "You were right, but I don't think you understand what it's like."

Disappointment rushed through her, and she raised a brow. "Why don't you _enlighten_ me then?" Her words were cold, but he brightened, like he thought she was being serious.

"I'm the Lucian leader Amy, and there are so many situations to deal with right now. Do you recall yesterday, when Natalie was called away? Well, we were having issues with a few things, and the pressure is really on me right now to deliver. It's like everyone in the branch is watching my every move to see whether I fail or not."

It was frustrating, but Amy actually felt a twinge of sympathy for him. The Lucians were a ruthless lot, and though Ian and Natalie were starting to warm up to the others and not be so cold, she could see where he was coming from. Plus, his parents didn't exactly leave a great legacy, yet the branch would expect the same type of leadership out of him, possibly even demand it. Still, the disappointment lingered as Ian went on, blabbing about his 'responsibilities' and how it was going to take time for him to get his life straightened out, how he couldn't _help_ but keep things exactly how they were, and that he wanted her to understand that it wasn't her.

"Ian," she finally interrupted him. He halted and gave her a hopeful look. "I get it, okay?"

A smile started to form on his face, but Amy wasn't done. "I understand your responsibilities as a branch leader, I really do. Fiske is actually training me now to take over sometime soon. But at the same time…" she trailed, looking down at her hands. Suddenly, this didn't feel real. It felt like her body had separated from this moment, especially when she looked back up and into Ian's earnest eyes.

This sucked. Majorly. She felt her heart breaking once more as she finished quietly, "I can't help but wonder if you're still running. And honestly, I'm sort of done trying to figure out what you want."

His face fell, but she didn't feel bad. What had he expected, with him just telling her how impossible it was for him to ever have room for her in his life? And obviously he was still dating Salina.

She turned her face away and stated, "I'm going to get some chips. I'll see you in the morning."

He didn't move, but she rounded the corner and blindly put some change in the machine and hit a random number, willing him to just _leave._ She got her wish. As the item fell with a soft 'thud', she could hear his footsteps fading away. Her heart clenched, but she told herself to get over it.

Once more he had chosen, and once more the choice hadn't been her.

—

" _...babe."_

 _The endearment drifted over her like satin against one's skin, so soft, she felt like she was in her dream still. A dream that included romantic walks on the beach, expensive wine, deep brown eyes..._

"Hey wake up."

Someone was shaking her shoulders, and Sinead came to the painful realization that she _wasn't_ dreaming anymore.

She fought against it though, turning away from the voice and sinking back into the pillow, letting her mind drift back to that place...

"Come on baby"—the voice grew in volume—"you gotta wake up and get back to your room before people notice."

 _People? Who's he talking about? And who even cares? I'm so comfortable…_

"Sinead!"

Groaning, she peeled her eyes opened against the bright light of the room. The move took effort, but once she caught the blurry outline of her boyfriend's face, she instantly went on alert

 _What is Jonah doing in my room?! I probably look_ _ **awful**_ _._

Sinead reflexively pulled the covers over her head while trying to piece it together. It swiftly came back to her that she was in his room—where she had been since their date started—but she still was hesitant to come out of her cocoon.

 _I didn't mean to fall asleep. And now my hair is probably wacko and my face all crusty._

She heard Jonah sigh and then his weight lifted from the bed. "I'll give you a couple of minutes to wake up. But we have to hurry after that. Dominic will be here in ten minutes."

Hearing that, Sinead knew she should probably move. But her body felt like it had been pummeled by a sledgehammer. She remembered the movie ending, the clock by the bed blazing 5:43 am, then her closing her eyes for just a second.

Giving up on looking decent, she pulled the covers away and sat up, smoothing her hair as she did so.

"I didn't mean to go to sleep. You should have woken me up."

Her boyfriend shrugged, his back to her as he threw some clothes in an open suitcase. "You looked so peaceful that I hated to. Besides, it's only 6:50 right now. So it's barely been an hour."

That would explain why she felt so bad. Fighting the sleep with some caffeine probably would have been better, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

"I should change." She stood, stretched her muscles, then went for her bag. Someone (most likely Amy) had sneaked some extra clothes in her bag, and she was thankful for it. Jonah told her sometime in the night that Dominic would come in the room then leave with her so it wouldn't look as suspicious. With Sinead's fresh clothes and the dancer's cover story, it should go smoothly if someone caught them, which Sinead doubted would happen. With late night shows, she noticed that none of Jonah's team got up until they had to.

At exactly seven, a light rap sounded on the door. Sinead was closer and opened it. Dominic's smirk was the first thing she saw, but to his credit he didn't say a word.

Tossing a 'see you later' over her shoulder to Jonah, she stepped into the hallway and didn't speak until they had passed a few doors.

"Have you seen anyone?" she asked, keeping her voice a low murmur. The dancer shook his head.

"Nope. Everyone is sleeping still."

Sinead looked at him and took in the bags underneath his eyes. "Thank you for doing this."

He flashed her a grin. "No problem. Have you said anything to Amy about me? Or figured out why she seems to be upset?"

Staring at him in astonishment, she hissed, "You don't know? Dance floor? Random blonde?"

"Oh," Dominic blinked.

Sinead rolled her eyes. They were at her door though, so she didn't say anything else.

"Well, here you are." Dominic broke the silence.

To her surprise, Amy was the one who opened the door.

"Oh hey," Sinead said. "Shouldn't you still be at the sleepover?"

She hoped that her cover wasn't blown, but Amy pulled her in quickly as she explained. "I went out to get a snack in the middle of the night and locked myself out of the room. I ran into Natalie and decided to ask her to help me get back in here instead."

"How did she manage that?" Dominic asked.

They halted, forgetting that he was there.

"Uh, Natalie is a pro at picking locks," Sinead said. "But don't let that get out, okay? She would kill me."

Dominic nodded. "For seeming so sweet, something about her scares me."

Sinead and Amy exchanged a grin. If only he knew about Natalie Kabra and her personal arsenal of weapons and poisons.

"Us too," Amy agreed.

"Well...I guess I'll be going," Dominic said, but his feet didn't move, and he was looking at Amy.

Sinead glanced over at her cousin to see her looking away. "See you later," she said. Her words weren't mean, but her meaning was clear.

Sinead cleared her throat, "Thanks again for your help Dominic."

She nodded at Jonah's friend and he gave her a mock salute in return. "See you girls later."

As soon as the door closed, Amy turned to her, all-business. "I may be onto something with the symbols. I was up studying them in the night. I want to ask your opinion but hurry and get ready first."

"Yes ma'am," Sinead mocked, but let out a grin. "I knew that code didn't stand a chance with you."

Amy returned the grin but didn't say anything more, both girls moving to get their bags packed.

—

Dan gave the eating place they were passing a longing look. They had eaten breakfast only hours ago, but the blaring 'fresh donuts here' sign was displayed out front was tempting…

Broderick wasn't wasting anytime though, and neither were Jonah's security guards. Just like the last time they were all at the airport, Jonah's fans had already tried to bombard them, and still were trying to in fact.

"This is madness," Natalie complained from his side as they were hustled through the loud terminal—noisier than normal with Jonah's screaming fangirls trailing them.

Dan mentally agreed, but was more annoyed than anything. How did Jonah live like this? It was cool at first, but he couldn't imagine every trip to the airport, or more like every trip to _anywhere_ being this hectic. Of course, that might have been the 'missed donut opportunity' talking.

Finally, they arrived at the room Broderick had reserved for them, much like he had when they had arrived in Seoul. This one was smaller though, and didn't have a mini-fridge.

His girlfriend must have noticed his expression because she frowned. "Why so gloomy? The room could use some touch-up, but the silence is _heavenly._ "

He smiled at her, but didn't comment. Instead, he pulled her to the couch and sat them down. "How much time do we have?" he asked.

Natalie glanced at her phone. "About ten minutes."

They were supposed to have had at least thirty, but there was delay with checking in. Ian and Natalie's flight left first, and then his, Amy, and Sinead's left shortly after.

Dan hated it. Goodbyes were always tough, but telling Natalie goodbye was worse.

"I guess there's the New Year's party," he stated. "But it seems so far away."

"I know." His girlfriend's face fell, but then brightened instantly. "At least we got to drop by though," she pointed out. "And the preparations for the party will keep me occupied."

"This early? It's two months away."

Natalie let out a long-suffering sigh. "Daniel. The Kabras are known for their fantastic New Year's parties and I have to keep up our reputation. A lot goes into planning these sorts of events. You cannot simply _throw together_ —"

"Okay I get it," he interrupted, not wanting her to start listing out everything. "There are a lot of snobs on the guest list that you have to impress."

She huffed out another exasperated breath but didn't argue. He felt her rest her head on his shoulder though, so he knew she wasn't too mad at him. Dan responded by putting his arm around her and wished again that they could have more time together. It just wasn't right.

It seemed like only seconds when Ian cleared his throat. "Natalie and I need to go to our gate."

Reluctantly, Dan lifted his arm so Natalie could stand. Then he stood with her and kissed her softly. "See you later," he said when he pulled back.

She gave him a sweet smile. "See you homie."

Dan grinned, partly with admiration and partly with surprise. Natalie didn't use slang often, (and her British accent sort of took the edge off) but it was still adorable when she tried. He was proud of her. Behind her Ian snorted, but only told the others goodbye. Broderick sent a bodyguard with them for precaution, and then they were gone.

He let his gaze linger on the door for a second before turning his attention to the small T.V. in the room. There was no point in getting sad. Still, the feeling remained, making it hard to ignore.

—

Watching his younger cousin try to play off his feelings, Jonah felt sympathetic. But he also knew that in just a few minutes, he would be going through the exact same thing.

 _I want to have one more moment with her alone. Just one._

It was impossible. The room was too small, there was no way he and Sinead could leave...but then a thought hit him and he leaned over to whisper it to his dad. He got a frown in return, but put on his best 'pleading' look and finally his dad gave in.

"Make sure your cousins don't mind though. And I have to warn you, this might raise suspicion if anyone is watching or monitoring."

"Yeah I know."

But it was worth the risk to him and thankfully his cousins didn't mind being 'booted' out. Ten minutes later Jonah had told Amy and Dan goodbye, and his bodyguards were walking them to their gate, leaving him alone with his girlfriend. Well, almost. They waited until Broderick excused himself to use the facilities, then _finally_ Jonah was kissing her.

Sinead returned it instantly, but pulled back too soon. "You couldn't have done that in front of everyone?"

She was joking, but he sensed the curiosity in her voice.

"I wanted to tell you something too."

Jonah hoped that she took it well. They sort of said the words last night, but not directly, and for some reason it was important for him to let her know.

 _Especially after she opened up to me like she did. I know it took a lot for her to show me her scars, and then to talk with me so transparently afterwards._

Her trust in him meant the world, and he wanted to tell her.

"Don't freak out on me okay?" he muttered, brushing her hair back from her face and looking her in the eye. Then he took a deep breath and stated, "I love you. To put it more clearly, I'm completely head over _heels_ in love with you."

A smile crossed her face, and though she didn't voice the words back, her grip around him tightened. Then she kissed him slowly, moving her hands to the back of his neck.

The move felt possessive, and he liked it. He didn't mind being 'hers'.

"Your bodyguards will be back anytime," she whispered. "But know that I have strong feelings for you too, even though it's hard for me to voice them."

Her green eyes held an apology, but also a promise.

"It's okay," he got out. It was hard to talk when her face was so close to his. "I know. Also…" he hesitated, not wanting the words to be too strong, especially after his confession. Then he decided to just go for it. "It means a lot to me that you trust me. Ya know, like you did last night."

Sinead looked down, but he could hear the smile in her voice as she said, "I know."

A rap on the door sounded, and Jonah groaned. "That's our warning."

His girlfriend kissed him quickly, then pulled back, reaching for her carry-on. "Yep. We will see each other soon though. It will go by quickly."

"I hope so. Goodbye."

He got another smile in response, then, just like that, he was left alone.

—

As soon as Sinead settled in her seat she reached for her headphones. She needed something to distract herself. Already her brain was trying to go into 'analyze mode', replaying the entire week. Normally, it wouldn't be a bad thing, but she didn't think she could emotionally handle it right now.

Beside her, Dan whispered "Hey, do you think our flight attendant looked in the mirror this morning? Her hair looks like a cross between Medusa and Lady Gaga's hair at that award show we watched last month."

"Dan!" she heard Amy hiss, but one glance up and Sinead nearly lost it. Their flight attendant's hair _was_ crazy—a mixture of blue barrel curls and random spikes—and she couldn't help but laugh.

She tried to hide it, but it wasn't working, and before long both she and Dan were in hysterics. Amy finally let out a smile, but shook her head at them. "You two are sleep-deprived."

"Probably," Sinead agreed, taking some deep breaths to try to calm down her laughter. "But you smiled too."

"True," Amy said, then let out a yawn. "Maybe we all should sleep for a bit. Did anyone actually sleep last night? I only got about two hours the entire night."

"I slept longer than that," Dan said. "Natalie and I got back around two and then I crashed."

"I only slept for an hour," Sinead admitted sheepishly. "Jonah and I stayed up and talked most of the night."

She saw Amy and Dan exchange a smirk, and she rolled her eyes. "Seriously, we just talked and watched a movie. I don't regret staying up though, especially knowing it's going to be another month before I see him."

Her voice had gone sad, and she decided it was time for a subject change. "Thanks for coming with me. I know it wasn't _all_ fun and games"—she gave Amy an apologetic look—"but I'm not sure I would have survived without you two."

It was true. Amy had been there to support her and was someone Sinead knew she could rely on if things would have gone bad, and Dan had provided comic relief.

"I don't regret the trip at all," Amy assured her, a tiny smile crossing her face. "Sure, there were times I wish I could have disappeared, but it was mostly good."

"Yeah, and I'm glad I came too. The tour was fun, what Jonah does is awesome, and of course I loved it that Natalie could come for a couple of days," Dan added.

They all smiled at each other, then Dan wrinkled his nose. "Ugh. Are we having a sappy cousin moment?"

"Yes. I think this calls for a group hug." Amy smirked at her little brother, holding her arms out.

"Looks like it's time for me to start playing my video games!" Dan said in a rush, then stooped to pull his portable game system out of his bag, effectively avoiding his sister's grab for him.

The girls laughed, but Sinead mentally agreed, once again reaching for her headphones and her phone to play some music.

Then she relaxed, letting her thoughts drift to school.

 _I'll have to work harder than ever. Then at my break, I'll get to see Jonah again, and introduce him to my family. I just hope that my dad doesn't disown me. He's going to freak. Then the holidays will be here, and I'll be really stressed out with finals and—_

She realized what she was doing and caught herself. She would take all of that as it came to her. It had worked so far over the last two months—even over the last _week_ —and it would work again.

Instead, she turned her mind to sleep, and soon she was drifting, but not before she had this thought.

 _Jonah's in love with me. And I think I might be just as in love with him. If so though, why couldn't I say it back?_

* * *

 **NOW hopefully the title of this makes sense…I didn't want it to be so serious, but at the same time, the whole point of this story was about (or supposed to be about) Sinead trusting Jonah enough to let him in and about her struggle to juggle dating him while still helping her brothers. I didn't exactly go as deep as I originally planned, BUT there's a reason for that...**

 **Epilogue, up next! :D**


	17. Epilogue

**This is it guys! Well, for now. ;D**

 **Thanks for sticking with me through this, for reading/reviewing/favoriting/following….it means a lot!**

* * *

Amy breathed a sigh of relief as they stepped off of the plane and back onto American soil. While she enjoyed traveling, it was good to be home. Only a week ago she had been desperate to get away, but now she was looking forward to the peace and quiet.

Well, as much peace as one could expect with a Vesper threat. All three cousins had fallen asleep on the plane, and she and Sinead hadn't had time for a chat that morning.

 _We can discuss things once we're settled at Attleboro. Besides, the equipment and research capabilities will be much better in the command center._

The command center was something Amy had created after the Clue Hunt, a place where she could contact the other branch leaders, do extensive research on hi-tech equipment (Sinead had helped her set that part up) and host training sessions. It would be good to get back in there, to be at the place where Amy felt the safest with the looming danger. She still felt it in her gut that the Vespers would attack soon, even though she could tell no one else was that concerned.

As they stepped into the terminal, they were met with the familiar sights and sounds of the Logan International Airport. Though not nearly as loud as the prior two airports have been (complete with Jonah's screaming horde of fans) the sounds of announcements, conversation from those passing by, and the squeals of people reuniting with their loved ones drifted to her ears. She also caught the whiff of cinnamon rolls and spotted a bakery nearby. Her stomach rumbled with hunger at the sight of fresh pastries lined up in a display case. Maybe they could pick something up on their way out

As they maneuvered past a large tourist group though, they were halted by a woman in TSA agent apparel.

"You two"—she gestured at Amy and Dan—"have been selected for a random security check."

Amy barely stifled a groan. She just wanted to be home _,_ but nodded her agreement. It wasn't like she could argue anyways.

Behind her, Sinead cleared her throat. "A random security check?" she echoed. "We're _exiting_ the plane, not getting on one. This is our final destination."

The woman ignored her, turning around, and Amy could see jet-black hair peeking out from beneath her hat, almost striking against the pale skin of her neck. "Wait here one moment please," she told the Cahill siblings, once she had led them a few feet away from Sinead.

She went to a small desk that held a computer, and started typing something in. As she did so, Amy let her gaze roam over the area, impatient to be on her way and eyeing the delicious-looking pastries once more. In doing so, she spotted a figure leaning on a column, directly across the aisle from the bakery. The man was just standing there, a ball cap covering most of his face and attired in jeans and a t-shirt—a completely normal look—but something about him seemed familiar.

Trepidation crept up Amy's neck, leaving goose bumps in its wake, and she gently nudged her brother. "Hey, check out that guy over there. Does he look familiar to you?"

Dan followed her head inclination, but frowned. "No. Should he?"

"I don't know," she admitted, wondering if she was just being paranoid again. "Never mind, I'm sure it's nothing."

But as she watched, the figure looked at his phone, and a smile crossed his face, crooked yet startlingly cold. Suddenly, it hit her.

"Dan!" she hissed, grabbing his arm. "That's one of the Vesper agents! I'm sure of it."

"What?" Her brother's head whipped over, and Amy saw his eyes widen as he studied the man. "Casper Wyoming."

Amy felt dread pool in her stomach. Her brother had a photographic memory, and though she had studied the 'possible agent' list that Erasmus had given them and couldn't put this man's name to a face, she knew Dan could. Casper Wyoming was definitely high on the list, described as lethal and merciless. Not to mention, some of his specialties included hand-to-hand combat and explosives. This wasn't good.

She glanced at Casper who was typing in the phone, then looked around for Sinead.

Her cousin was off to the side, staring at some sandwiches in a nearby display case. Amy tried to get her attention, but the TSA agent (though Amy now doubted the woman really was one) spun around and motioned for Amy and Dan towards a side room only feet away from where Sinead was still standing. "In here please."

Amy looked back at her brother, not sure what to do. Silently, he told her to not make a move. If they could make a commotion, maybe a _real_ TSA agent or a member of airport personnel would help them.

"No way," he turned and said boldly to the woman. "You can do the check right here in front of everyone."

Her face contorted into a frown, making her delicate features seem unattractive now, and she snapped out, "No, I _cannot_. Procedure calls for me to do this check in private."

"May we see a copy of this policy please?" Amy asked politely, still looking over the woman's shoulder to keep her eye on Casper. But he disappeared behind a crowd of people exiting the moving sidewalk in the middle of the aisle, and then when the people passed by, he was no longer there.

Now panic threatened to take over her, but she tried to keep a cool head as the woman said tightly, "No, you may not. Now if you'll just come with me…"

Dan suddenly darted away, using one hand to keep his backpack steady, while another one reached out to pull Amy behind him.

"Run for the car!" he panted. "Nellie will be there and can help us!"

"Wait," Amy turned to look behind them as they neared the escalator that would take them to the passenger pickup area. "Sinead! We can't leave her—"

Dan was already turning them around, and let out a groan. "Oh no!"

Her heart filled with fear, Amy followed his glance and saw the reason for his groan. The TSA agent was now approaching their cousin. Sinead was giving her a puzzled look, and Amy saw her eyes scanning—probably looking for her and Dan—then they locked with Amy's.

Realization lit her face and she tried to maneuver away from the woman, but the agent's hands suddenly shot out and grabbed her arm. Sinead struggled, only the woman had an iron-tight grip it looked like, and quickly forced her into the room, propelling her the few feet between the glass case and the door. Amy looked around desperately. Surely someone had seen that and their suspicions were raised. But everyone was carrying on like normal, either bustling through the terminal to catch their flight or roaming around to kill time. _No one_ had noticed. It looked like it was up to her and Dan.

"Come on," Amy said, already moving towards the room. This was probably a trap, but they didn't have a choice. They couldn't leave their cousin in the hands of the Vespers.

"Wait, shouldn't we let Nellie know—"

"Send her a text. But there's no time for anything else!"

This time it was she that was pulling her brother along, but instead of to safety, it was right into danger. Pausing right outside the door, she looked at Dan. "Maybe you should stay here and wait for Nellie. Tell her to—"

"No way." Her brother's eyes blazed with resolve, a look she recognized from the Clue hunt. "I'm going in too. I just told Nellie that Vespers were here. That's all I had time for, but she'll come find us. Now c'mon, they could have already hurt Sinead."

Taking a deep breath, Amy opened the door and they burst through.

—

Surprise was what they were hoping to use to thwart their enemy _._ Instead, it was what they got when they entered.

The woman had Sinead in a choke hold with one hand, while her other hand was gripping a steel, fixed-blade knife. The object was dangerously close to their cousin's neck, and when the woman saw them she inched it even closer, where the blade was grazing Sinead's porcelain skin. As they stared in horror, a door on the other side of the small room opened, revealing a grinning Casper Wyoming.

It was undoubtedly him. Now that his hat was off, his blonde hair, blue eyes, and chiseled face was nearly identical to the picture that Erasmus had shown them. A chill went down Amy's spine, but she was determined not to show it.

"What do you want?" she demanded, crossing her arms in front of her. The gesture was to boost her confidence—an emotion she wasn't exactly feeling at the moment—but it also served to make her feel protected, like her arms were some kind of metal shield that would prevent her from getting hurt.

"What do I want?" Casper sneered. "Are you really that stupid?"

It was hard to keep her bravery up when he took a step closer, but Amy managed. Beside her Dan was silent, probably trying to scope out an escape route.

"Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way," the blonde-haired agent went on. "The easy way is for you to take off your watch and hand it to me, and I promise no one will get hurt. The hard way is for us to kill your cousin, maim you and your brother, and take the watch anyway."

Amy felt helpless as she stared at Casper, then at Sinead, who was gazing back at her steadily. She knew that Gideon's ring was really what the Vesper was after, not the watch, but for her to just take it off and _give_ it to him...only she didn't have a choice. She didn't believe that he was bluffing, and her cousin's life was more valuable than the ring.

 _I'm sorry Grace,_ she thought, then an idea came to her. _Maybe I can stall and it will give us more time._

"I don't believe you. Have her"—Amy motioned at the woman holding Sinead—"release my cousin first, then I'll give you the watch. I promise."

Casper frowned, and Amy held her breath, hoping that she hadn't just signed her cousin's death warrant. But then he rolled his eyes and addressed his partner. "Do what she requested. It's not like they can stand a chance against us anyways. We've got the weapons and the skills here. They're unarmed teenagers."

The woman pursed her lips like she didn't agree with his call, but obeyed him. Amy released the breath she had been holding in, glad that Sinead at least wasn't seconds away from death. The redhead scowled at the woman and bit out, "You need to trim your nails. I'm going to have marks now."

She only let out a grin that bordered on evil as Sinead made a move to rub her neck. Only the Ekat suddenly raised her hand and a stream of something sprayed out and into the woman's face.

The agent let out a scream—the sound so piercing Amy thought everyone outside surely would hear—and ducked. Before Amy could register anything, Sinead was aiming the object at Casper and as he started hollering, it hit her.

Pepper spray, of course. Her cousin always carried it with her, though she cleverly disguised it as hairspray in order to get it through airport security.

"Come on!" Sinead practically growled out.

They tried to go for the door to the main wing, but the woman moved backwards and blocked it, already getting a grip, her hand still clutching her knife. Amy knew that it would only be seconds before Casper got his bearings too, and shoved Dan towards the door the agent had sneaked in through. "This way! Hurry!"

They ducked through the door and Sinead quickly shut the door, locking it behind her. "That's only going to hold for so long," she gasped out as they ran through a long, narrow hallway. "But it will help. Now how do we get out of here?"

They exchanged worried glances with each other, knowing that no one had the answer.

After seconds, the hallway turned and split into a corridor, hosting several doors, but Amy wasn't sure which one would lead to safety.

"That one," Dan pointed to one on the right. "If my calculations are correct, it will lead into Terminal C."

They all collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Dan's memory had gotten them out of many scrapes before, and it looked like it would come through again. Only when they opened the door, instead of seeing the bustle of people and hearing the intercom announcing flights, they saw another empty room.

Amy felt despair rush through her, but Sinead was pointing to a door on the left. "There. Even if it's a closet, maybe we can hide."

There really wasn't another choice. Amy could hear two sets of footsteps pounding from the hallway, and knew that Casper and the dark-haired woman would be on them in seconds.

Quickly, they moved towards the door, then halted. What if it trapped them? It was Sinead who finally opened the door and darted through.

"Oh!" she said in surprise, halting suddenly, causing Amy to nearly crash into her.

She righted herself and peered around Sinead's shoulder.

A security guard was sitting at a table in the middle of what looked like an airport break room, complete with a fridge, a microwave, and even a vending machine. He looked just as surprised as Sinead had sounded, looking up from his cell phone, his dark grey eyes wide. The guard was middle-aged with peppered hair and a beer belly, and Amy saw a name tag on his shirt that read 'Ralph'.

"Get in!" Dan growled from behind her. Amy quickly did so, forcing Sinead to move in, then she heard her brother shut the door behind them.

"What are you kids doing in here?" the man demanded, his eyes suspicious. "This room is for authorized personnel only!"

"Uh, sorry Ralph," Dan said a voice that rang with pure innocence. "I think we're lost. Can you point us to the Terminal C passenger pickup?"

"Lost?" Ralph echoed. His eyes still held suspicion, but Amy thought that they had softened slightly. Standing up, he threw his can of coca cola away and shrugged. "I guess so. But in the future, you three need to pay attention to the signs around here. Ignoring them could lead to serious danger."

 _If only you knew,_ Amy thought, but something about this didn't feel right to her. She gave her cousin and brother a look that said _'can we trust him?'_

Dan bit his lip, but Sinead returned her look with one that stated _'we don't have a choice',_ and Amy knew that she was right. All they could do was hope that Ralph was just an innocent airport employee, and that he wouldn't get hurt or killed trying to help them. Though it wouldn't be exactly their fault, the last thing she wanted was a death on their watch.

"Alright follow me," the security guard stated, leading them through yet another door, which led to _another_ corridor.

 _This is crazy. It's like a network of tunnels around the airport. Still, I guess the workers have to get around somehow._

But it was so quiet that their soft-soled shoes could be heard tapping against the floor, and Amy wondered if the employees even used these hallways. If not, then they were definitely in trouble. She followed Ralph but tried to stay alert and scope for escape route, and behind her she saw the other two doing the same thing.

"Alright, it's right through here," Ralph said, gesturing to a door.

Amy made a move towards it, but hesitated when he stepped back to let her enter. If this was a trick…

Dan had no qualms though, passing her quickly and nearly busting the door open. He skidded in his tracks, but Amy felt herself being pushed and before she could catch herself she was barreling into him. By the time she grasped the wall to pull herself up, she felt another body being hurled into her—Sinead's. Then, to her horror, she looked up and right into Casper's face. Worse, there was no way out. The room had no doors or windows to escape through, and though the woman that had been helping him wasn't present, Amy saw a knife in his right hand.

Beside her, Sinead tried to use her pepper spray again, only the guard reached out and snatched her hand, halting her. "They warned me about you," he sneered, and in one quick motion, he had confiscated the object and tossed it behind his shoulder.

Amy swallowed hard, scanning the room, trying to think of something—but as the guard shoved them further in and she heard the 'click' of a lock, she knew that it was no use.

They were trapped.

—

Dan felt like _such_ an idiot.

It was his fault they were in this predicament. If he hadn't forgotten about Sinead in the first place, when they were out in one of the main airport terminals, they probably wouldn't have even made it to the first room. They would be in the car with Nellie, telling her about their almost capture by Casper. Instead, she would probably find their bodies down here later.

It was a morbid thought, but as he looked into Casper's stormy eyes, all he saw was murder whirling in them.

 _I shouldn't have opened the door so quickly. What was I thinking?_

Now, he could only watch helplessly as Casper took a menacing step towards his sister. Without thinking, Dan moved towards her too, but Sinead beat him to it, practically leaping to stand in front of her.

"You're not getting the watch," she said.

Dan marveled at the defiance in her tone and the steadiness of her eyes, but knew one of Sinead's specialties was keeping a cool head. While he wasn't sure what her aim was, it gave him a shot of courage. _His_ specialty was being able to think quickly under pressure, so while Casper was distracted, he took a tiny step back and to his left, trying to ease behind the Vesper agent without him noticing.

"Oh, I'm not?" Casper mocked. "And just what are _you_ planning to do to stop me? It isn't like you have your measly little _pepper spray_ anymore."

"I have something better than that. Take one more step forward and I'll show you."

Dan paused, knowing that Sinead didn't have anything on her. The Ekat had been planning to smuggle her small pistol through security, but had ran out of time to disguise it and ended up leaving it at the last minute.

 _Maybe she's trying to distract him to give me time to get him from behind,_ he thought.

Casper was bigger and stronger than him, _and_ had a weapon, but if he could catch him off-guard...he stepped forward slightly and caught Amy's eye in doing so. She gave him a 'what are you doing' look but he ignored her and took a deep breath, preparing to launch himself at the agent once he stepped forward—

But something distracted him. Was there a haze in the room? He blinked and refocused on Casper's back, but the man hadn't moved.

Or had he? Suddenly, it was hard for him to tell.

Dan took another breath and once again positioned himself to attack—then he heard a soft 'thud' and felt something shoot through his side.

And that was all he remembered.

—

"Wake up kiddos! Come on, wake up!"

The voice was sharp, laced with fear and worry, but in the midst of it all, Amy still found it hard to open her eyes, _and_ move her mouth. It was like someone had swiped superglue between her lips, sealing them closed. Had she been sleeping?

"Wh-what? Nellie?"

It was definitely her former au pair. Amy could see the blurry image of her face and could make out the bright hues of her hair as she finally forced her eyelids up. But why was she here? Actually, where _was_ here?

It ended up being Dan who pieced it together first.

"Oh good, we're alive." The relief was apparent in his tone. "I thought maybe Casper killed us."

 _Casper._

With a jolt it all came back to her. Casper Wyoming showing up at the airport; his partner in crime assisting him in capturing them; the three escaping only to run into the 'helpful' guard who had led them straight back to Casper; The Vesper agent once again trying to take the watch; Sinead defiantly placing herself in front of Amy, defending the object; Dan trying to go behind Casper's back and sabotage the whole thing; And then... _nothing_. Amy couldn't remember a thing beyond that.

With a sinking heart, Amy looked down at her wrist.

It was empty. Her watch—that contained Gideon's ring—wasn't there. Trying to curb the rising panic that threatened to overpower her, she said, "Dan, Sinead, do either of you remember what happened to my watch?"

" _Speaking_ of Sinead," Nellie cut in, and Amy could hear the edge in her tone. "Where _is_ she?!"

 _No…_

Realization hit, but her brain fought against it. It had to be an oversight on Nellie's part, her cousin had to be here somewhere, possibly still passed out.

But a quick examination of the small room confirmed her fears: Sinead was nowhere to be seen.

She, Casper, and the ring, _had vanished._

—

 _ **-**_ _ **Unknown location**_ _ **-**_

 _From:_ _Casper Wyoming_

 _To:_ _V1_

 _Message:_ _Mission accomplished. Both objects in possession. Returning to base._

Casper sent the message and then smirked at the two 'objects' now under his custody. One was the ring and the other was the unconscious Ekat whose research they had been tracking over the past year. The Vesper agent didn't know _why_ his leader needed her—it wasn't like she was an actual scientist or anything—but he knew one thing: he had accomplished the mission he was ordered to do. Now he was _sure_ to get the promotion he'd been coveting for what seemed like decades.

 _Yes,_ he thought as his eyes raked over the girl again, taking in her pretty features and vivid auburn hair. _Vesper One will be pleased indeed._

His phone buzzed, and Casper read the text, a grin splitting his face. He had just received new instructions—and with it—a new target.

He showed the message to the blonde woman sitting next to him—already she had taken off her dark wig and makeup—and they exchanged an almost identical smirk.

This was going to be fun.

—

 _And so the stage is set…_

…

…

… _let the_ _ **disintegration**_ _begin._

* * *

 **Mwahahaha! I'm so evil! ;)**

 **Until the sequel, my darlings! (I'm aiming to have the first chapter up in November/December sometime! If you're following this story, I will post a notice here also.)**


	18. Sequel is uploaded!

**HEY EVERYONE!**

 **So I'm happy to say that I've uploaded the first chapter to the next fic in this series! I thought it would take longer but I finished it and am so excited to hear everyone's thoughts. Please go check it out and don't forget to drop me a reveiw—those definitely help me write faster! :)**


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